Project Title: Using Computer Vision for Automated Rooftop Modeling and Shading Analysis
Funding Opportunity: SunShot Technology to Market (Incubator 10)
SunShot Subprogram: Technology to Market
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Amount Awarded: $400,000
Awardee Cost Share: $100,000
Project Investigator: Chris Hopper

As part of the Department of Energy’s SunShot Incubator program, Aurora will be developing a web-based application that quickly and precisely calculates the solar potential of a building’s roof. The results of this application will increase the ability of solar firms to accurately assess large volumes of potential sites and will increase their closing rates.

Approach

Aurora will develop sophisticated image recognition and computer vision algorithms that will leverage Aurora’s existing intellectual property to apply the solution throughout the US.

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Sample house with heat map of irradiance and solar access values

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Modeling simulation for a hypothetical house

Innovation

Aurora Solar’s approach combines state-of-the-art image recognition and computer vision algorithms with Aurora’s existing intellectual property. Unlike other remote assessment techniques, Aurora’s image recognition and computer vision algorithms work throughout the United States. The resulting application will reduce the cost of customer acquisition for remote sales teams by saving time and improving the accuracy of site designs.