Google is gearing up to monetize its mapping data by licensing it to various enterprises engaged in renewable energy ventures.
This move is expected to yield around $100 million within its inaugural year, as per exclusive insights from CNBC.
The strategy involves offering access to fresh application programming interfaces (APIs) loaded with solar and energy insights, as well as air quality data, as detailed in materials scrutinized by CNBC.
These APIs will include a Solar API, tailored for utilization by solar installers such as SunRun and Tesla Energy, and solar design firms like Aurora Solar.
A portion of the Solar API’s data will originate from a consumer-centric trial dubbed Project Sunroof, an initiative that unveiled a solar savings calculator in 2015.
Project Sunroof allows users to input their location, receiving estimates of prospective solar expenses like electricity bill savings and required solar panel sizes.
Furthermore, the tool employs 3D modeling, utilizing Google Maps data, to visualize building rooftops and nearby trees.
Google aims to sell API access for individual building data, along with aggregated data encompassing all structures within specific cities or counties.
The tech company asserts possession of data related to over 350 million buildings, a substantial upsurge from the 60 million structures referenced during Project Sunroof’s 2017 inception.
Internally, an estimate underscores that Google’s solar APIs could generate revenue ranging from $90 to $100 million in the debut year following their launch.
Meanwhile, Google had not provided an immediate response to CNBC’s request for comment.
