Google wants to sell mapping data for renewable-focused companies

Google sees potential as demand for renewables grows: Google plans to license new sets of mapping data to several companies as they tap into products focused on renewable energy, CNBC reports, citing materials it has seen. The plan — which Google hopes will net USD 100 mn in revenues in its first year — will see the company selling access to new application programming interfaces (APIs) with data on solar, energy and air quality. The new offerings include a Solar API taken from a consumer-focused plot called Project Sunroof, which is a solar savings calculator that was launched in 2015. The pilot gives users access information related to estimated solar costs and the size of solar installations needed depending on their location. It also provides 3D modeling of buildings’ roofs and surrounding trees based on data from Google Maps. Google says it has data for over 350 mn buildings, according to the documents, and Google’s solar APIs have the potential to generate revenues between USD 90 mn and USD 100 mn within a year of operations.