Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → News

Rooftop solar could meet 39% of U.S. electricity needs

Sunny states like California, Texas and Florida topped the list of states where rooftop solar could generate the most energy.

Tibi Puiu by Tibi Puiu
April 1, 2016
in News, Renewable Energy

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimates that rooftop solar has the potential to cover 39 percent of the country’s electricity needs. Sunny states like California, Texas and Florida topped the list of states where rooftop solar could generate the most energy.

rooftop solar
Image: Pixabay

In 2008, the agency estimated the country could meet 21 percent of its electricity demand using rooftop solar. Then, scientists reckoned its potential was 800 terawatt-hours of electricity per year. Eight years later, this estimate jumped almost two fold to 1,432 terawatt-hours of annual rooftop solar generation. Today, commercial solar panels are vastly superior in terms of efficiency. There are also more buildings.

California is the clear leader, having the potential to generate 74 percent of its electricity from rooftop panels alone. Percentage wise, the next states in line are surprisingly the New England states which don’t get much sunshine, but use little electricity to begin with. In absolute numbers, topping the list are, again, California, Texas, Florida and New York — in this order.

 Potential rooftop PV annual generation from all buildings as a percentage of each state’s total electricity sales in 2013. Image: NREL.
Potential rooftop PV annual generation from all buildings as a percentage of each
state’s total electricity sales in 2013. Image: NREL.

The researchers made their estimates by analyzing LIDAR data captured by aircraft for 128 cities from around the country. LIDAR stands for LIght Detection And Ranging — a technology that uses lasers to measure distance highly accurately. Correlating LIDAR with known solar energy potential for every square meter, the researchers could estimate how much energy solar panels placed on the rooftops of buildings and homes could generate. The results where then extrapolated for the rest of the country. In the previous 2008 analysis LIDAR wasn’t used, which is one of the reasons estimates are higher now.

“Although only 26% of the total rooftop area on small buildings (those with a footprint smaller than 5,000 ft2 ) is suitable for PV deployment, the sheer number of buildings in this class gives small buildings the greatest technical potential. Small building rooftops could accommodate 731 GW of PV capacity and generate 926 TWh/year of PV energy, which represents approximately 65% of rooftop PV’s total technical potential. Medium and large buildings have a total installed capacity potential of 386 GW and energy generation potential of 506 TWh/year, which represents approximately 35% of the total technical potential of rooftop PV,” the NREL researchers noted in their report.

This all sounds great news for renewable energy enthusiasts. It sends a clear signal that the potential is there. Of course, 39 percent solar only from rooftops is huge. Think of it as something close to the absolute limit — so half is realistically feasible. It’s still a lot more than the 2.4 percent California generated from rooftop solar in 2014, for instance.

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. Floating solar panels could provide the world with the extra electricity it needs
  2. Startup makes solar panels that can blend with any environment. It can match a rooftop, show an ad, anything basically
  3. Rooftop solar is getting dirt cheap. That’s good news for consumers, but trouble for businesses
  4. UK slaps massive 800% tax increase for rooftop solar panels
  5. Google tool that calculates the solar energy potential of your rooftop expands to all 50 states
Tags: rooftopsolar energysolar panel

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW