NYC using LIDAR technology to map out, among other things, optimal places for solar installations

May 14, 2010

The “solar map” will help assess the city’s capacity for solar power, and city dwellers can check if their home is suitable for solar panels.

Large metropolitan areas have large energy demands. All the under-utilized rooftops in New York City equal lots of possible space for solar panels. The laser-created solar maps project will cost the city close to $500,000 (about half will be funded by the US government). The mapping is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, and will also show the areas of the city most prone to flooding and in most need of greenery (i.e., trees). It is the hope that the ‘solar map’ will encourage residents to install solar panels, thus increasing solar panel construction and business.

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