America’s existing rooftops could support solar installations capable of generating 1,432 terawatt-hours of energy a year, or 39% of the country’s total electricity sales, according to a revised report by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
The report updates an earlier, lower estimate with more exact light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data from 128 U.S. cities, but does not take into account new buildings or canopies over open spaces. NREL senior analyst Robert Margolis said the updated figures are also likely to “increase further as solar module performance improves over time,” SeeNews reports.
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“Armed with this new data, municipalities, utilities, solar energy researchers, and other stakeholders will have a much-improved starting point for (photovoltaic) research and policy-making, both regionally and nation-wide,” added Pieter Gagnon, social policy and techno-economics analyst at NREL.
