Harnessing the solar generation power of unused rooftops

From need: more space to harness the power of the sun on a large scale, to innovation: transforming unused commercial rooftops into solar generation stations, capable of supplying hundreds and even thousands of homes with clean, renewable energy.

An idea so simple, it prompts one to ask “Why didn’t I think of it?”

Large-scale installation projects have been undertaken already across the United States. Southern California Edison recently completed the installation of 600,000 square feet of solar powered rooftops, generating approximately 250 million watts of electricity. This is equivalent to building several utility-scale solar power plants. 

The program will provide a new generation source to areas where customer demand is rising. The solar modules can be connected quickly to the nearest neighbourhood circuit while major new renewable energy transmission lines are being built. The output of solar panels generally matches peak customer demand which is typically low in the morning and evening, higher in the afternoon.

One of the challenges plaguing the industry has been the high cost of implementation. In February 2009, a solar panel maker in Arizona announced that it had managed to reduce its production costs from $3 to less than $1 a watt, reaching a new industry milestone. The company was able to increase its production capacity by 50 times, and pass on those savings to consumers.

With prices like that, solar power is very close to enabling clean, renewable electricity at competitive prices.

Let the sunshine in.