Ecopreneur, Green Technology

I spent a lovely weekend away in the country this weekend at my parents cattle property about 100km SW of Brisbane. A break that that I was certainly ready for! The clean fresh air, billions and billions of stars, a big camp fire and amazing views across the undulating hills were, as always, truly spectacular…

And it got me thinking about the scope and perspective of my latest ecopreneur ideas. As most of you know, I’m an avid entrepreneur, businessman and sustainability scientist – a strange combination I know! But as more and more green technologies emerge and western cultures wake up to the fact that we cannot continue along the path we’ve followed for so long, my entrepreneurial spirit wills me on to bigger and better ecopreneurial ideas.

Over the weekend my Google Reader account exploded with neglected feeds that all wanted my attention come Monday morning. One RSS feed in particular really clicked with my current way of green thinking. It was a Springwise post about eco-sustainability and a fantastic new innovation in the US call RoofRay.

RoofRay have come up with a plan to allow everyday home owners and prospective buyers the chance to evaluate the solar energy potential of any house using Google Maps. Now folks this is really really cool! A great way to capitalise on green markets and up and coming consumer behaviour in the US.
Here’s a copy of Springwise’s feed below – I suggest you all subscribe in your RSS reader, they always have great and interesting content:

As energy prices continue to climb, the idea of tapping the power of the sun may seem like a no-brainer. The process of getting solar panels installed, however, is quite the opposite, fraught with spreadsheets, technical details and terms like “albedo.” Enter RoofRay, a brand-new California startup that aims to give consumers better information so they can make more informed solar decisions.

Currently in beta, RoofRay is a solar array modelling service and community designed to help consumers evaluate solar for their homes or businesses. Using the site’s modelling tools, consumers can estimate how much solar energy a home could capture and how that would affect their monthly bills based on past weather conditions, current power bills, the slope of their house, and how much panelling their roof can hold. One tool uses Google Maps to let users calculate the square footage of their roof and build virtual panels; RoofRay then estimates the output potential of the roof as well as financial considerations like costs of installation and upkeep and ROI. Another section shows existing installations that have already been completed by other people, including specifics of the roof used and total peak power. Ultimately, RoofRay hopes to create “RoofRaytings” for buildings and provide them to real-estate search engines as an indicator of the solar potential of homes or businesses for sale. It also plans to create an online marketplace where solar installers and integrators can bid for consumers’ business.

As RoofRay points out, homes’ solar potential could become increasingly important as a factor in real-estate buying decisions. Making it easier for consumers to access that and other solar information will surely be a key step on the way to more widespread adoption of the technology and—the ultimate goal—less reliance on fossil fuels. (Related: Maps for new-energy entrepreneurs.)

Website: www.roofray.com
Contact: info@roofray.com

Have you seen any other great Green Technologies? Ecopreneur (<– I love that word!) Innovations or Emission Reduction Plans? Leave some comments below on your favourites and I’ll follow up on them all I promise!

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