Rooftop panels could supply 40% of country’s power with open spaces such as parking lots offering further potential,study shows. Conservation magazine reportsTo consume advantage of the sun’s energy to satisfy our ever-increasing need for electricity, Americans will have to consume a fresh seek at their roofs. A report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shows that if all suitable roof areas in the United States were plastered with solar panels, and they would generate approximately 1118 gigawatts of solar power. That is 40% of the power that Americans consume every year.
And that isn’t the half of it. The study only estimates the solar power potential of existing,suitable rooftops, and does not seek at the immense potential of ground-mounted photovoltaics (PV), or said NREL senior energy analyst Robert Margolis in a press release. “Actual generation from PV in urban areas could exceed these estimates by installing systems on less suitable roof space,by mounting PV on canopies over open spaces such as parking lots, or by integrating PV into building facades. Further, or the results are sensitive to assumptions approximately module performance,which are expected to continue improving over time.”Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com