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CUNY's Solar Map Says The Sun Could Power Half The City
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jun 17, 2011
Modified Jun 17, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jun 17, 2011
Modified Jun 17, 2011
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The sun has many uses, from giving us cool-looking cancer spots to frying those pesky ants beneath our magnifying glasses (plus Solar Hits!) But what if we harnessed it to give your ConEd bill a giant, phototropic finger? A solar map of New York City released today by CUNY reveals that 66 percent of the city's rooftops could be used to harness solar power, generating enough energy to fulfill half of the city's electricity needs at peak periods. Yes, but will it be enough to keep the juice flowing to the dozens of spaceheaters powering our illicit beef jerky drying operation (and those other LED lamps in the basement that are just there for decoration)?
CUNY's nifty, searchable map works by utilizing "a computer model that calculates the incoming direct and diffuse solar radiation for every square meter of the city." Just type in your building's address and the map will tell you how much electricity your building could be generating, the amount of time it will take for the building to recoup the cost of installing the solar panels, and the equivalent amount of trees planted (15,147 for us!) by circumventing coal-powered electricity. Currently, ConEd's procedure for building owners to set up solar power is a bureaucratic nightmare worthy of Franz Kafka [pdf], but the utility says it's working on a website to make it easier for buildings to install solar panels.
Tagged
ConEd
CUNY
environmentalism
solar energy
solar power
utilities
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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