Realizing your true (solar) potential
Nations worldwide are increasingly embracing solar power as an alternative electricity source for homes, buildings, and even the grid. Since 2008, installed solar capacity in the United States alone has grown 17-fold, from 1.2 to 20 gigawatts (GW), according to the U.S. Department of Energy. But do costs outweigh the benefits of installing photovoltaic (PV) systems in every building? MIT spinout Mapdwell is answering that question by mapping solar potential for entire cities and providing a cost-benefit analysis for each rooftop. On Mapdwell’s satellite-map website, people can click on an individual roof to receive information about installation price, energy and financial savings, and environmental impact. The idea is to “empower businesses and homeowners with information they need to go solar,” according to the Mapdwell website. So far, Mapdwell has mapped eight cities across the U.S., including New York, San Francisco, and three in Massachusetts — Boston, Cambridge, and Wellfleet — as well as a few cities...