Google Plans to Sell Map Data to Boost Renewable Energy Development

According to CNBC, Google is poised to grant a series of companies access to its map datasets to assist in designing renewable energy projects. The tech giant intends to sell access to a new API (Application Programming Interface) enriched with solar power, energy information, and air quality data, aiming to generate up to $100 million in revenue in its inaugural year. The new offering will include a Solar API, which can be utilized by companies like SunRun, Tesla, and energy and solar design firms such as Aurora.

Some of the data for the Solar API will derive from a consumer-focused pilot known as Project Sunroof, a solar savings calculator launched initially in 2015. The program enables users to input their address to receive estimates on solar energy costs, such as potential savings on electricity and the size of the solar installation required. It also creates 3D models of building rooftops and neighboring trees based on Google map data.

Google plans to vend API access rights to individual building data and aggregated data for all structures in a specific city or county. The company boasts data on more than 350 million buildings, a significant leap from the 60 million buildings referenced for Sunroof in 2017.

Google estimates that the solar API will yield between $90 million to $100 million in revenue in its first year post-launch, with potential ties to Google Cloud products.

As a part of the plan's initiation, Google also anticipates announcing an air quality API, which would allow customers to request air quality data, such as pollutants and health-based recommendations for specific locations. It will also encompass digital heatmaps of the data, hourly air quality updates, and a history of air quality spanning up to 30 days.

This latest revenue initiative emerges as the company has been striving to monetize its map products, facing pressures to generate income amidst a broader economic slowdown. While the firm remains focused on enhancing efficiency, it continues to invest in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and sustainability – hoping to capitalize on this market with the Solar API.

According to CNBC, Google is poised to grant a series of companies access to its map datasets to assist in designing renewable energy projects. The tech giant intends to sell access to a new API (Application Programming Interface) enriched with solar power, energy information, and air quality data, aiming to generate up to $100 million in revenue in its inaugural year. The new offering will include a Solar API, which can be utilized by companies like SunRun, Tesla, and energy and solar design firms such as Aurora.

Some of the data for the Solar API will derive from a consumer-focused pilot known as Project Sunroof, a solar savings calculator launched initially in 2015. The program enables users to input their address to receive estimates on solar energy costs, such as potential savings on electricity and the size of the solar installation required. It also creates 3D models of building rooftops and neighboring trees based on Google map data.

Google plans to vend API access rights to individual building data and aggregated data for all structures in a specific city or county. The company boasts data on more than 350 million buildings, a significant leap from the 60 million buildings referenced for Sunroof in 2017.

Google estimates that the solar API will yield between $90 million to $100 million in revenue in its first year post-launch, with potential ties to Google Cloud products.

As a part of the plan's initiation, Google also anticipates announcing an air quality API, which would allow customers to request air quality data, such as pollutants and health-based recommendations for specific locations. It will also encompass digital heatmaps of the data, hourly air quality updates, and a history of air quality spanning up to 30 days.

This latest revenue initiative emerges as the company has been striving to monetize its map products, facing pressures to generate income amidst a broader economic slowdown. While the firm remains focused on enhancing efficiency, it continues to invest in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and sustainability – hoping to capitalize on this market with the Solar API.