Cooler Planet put together a gorgeous time-phased heat map of their solar energy inquiries over time. Its fun to watch the growth of solar energy inquires over time.
While the map certainly reflects their success as a business, I think it also demonstrates the regional growth in interest in solar power. I’ll admit to my surprise at the number of inquiries that originate in the Boston area - people are definitely making social statements more than they are making practical decisions. Compare the map above to the solar power potential map below:
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The guys at Cooler Planet, put together a very cool Google Map mashup of the growth of solar power in California.
You can see how solar panel installations have grown over time. I took these two screenshots of the installations in Northern California. I find it fascinating that there is more solar generating capacity in Berkeley than in San Francisco or Oakland.
| 2001 | 2008 |
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They used hard-to-access, but publicly available data to build a yearly snapshot of the CA solar installations. I think its a great example of what you can do with government data that hasn’t really ever been put together in a compelling manner.
I’m thrilled to see them take a ‘content-rich’ approach to the solar space. While they don’t make money directly from work like this, it helps build their credibility and awareness in the space and helps establish themselves as a leading solar content destination.
(Disclosure: I made a small investment awhile back in Cooler Planet)
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