U.S. Commercial Rooftops Hold 145 Gigawatts of Untapped Solar Potential

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Enough unused roof space exists on commercial buildings in the United States to install 145 gigawatts of new solar capacity — nearly double the country’s current total solar capacity, according to a new report by the energy research firm Wood Mackenzie. 

Enough unused roof space exists on commercial buildings in the United States to install 145 gigawatts of new solar capacity — nearly double the country’s current total solar capacity, according to a new report by the energy research firm Wood Mackenzie. That is enough to power 28 million homes.

The report, done in collaboration with Station A — a clean-energy marketplace connecting building owners and renewable energy developers — found that just 3.5 percent of commercial buildings in the U.S. have solar panels on their roofs. Another 1 percent are attached to solar projects located off-site. After accounting for buildings too small or that use too little electricity to make solar a worthwhile investment, analysts said 70 percent of commercial buildings in the U.S. — or 600,000 sites — are potential targets for solar projects.

Read more at Yale Environment 360

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