Google Plans To Generate $100 Million In A Year By Selling Maps Data To Companies Building Solar Structures

Google is set to revolutionize its revenue streams by introducing a groundbreaking initiative: licensing newly curated mapping data to various enterprises, all centred around the development of renewable energy solutions. With this audacious move, the tech giant aspires to achieve an astonishing goal of generating a staggering $100 million in the inaugural year of this venture, sources reveal exclusively.

This ingenious plan involves the commercialisation of novel APIs (application programming interfaces) offering invaluable insights into solar energy particulars, environmental quality metrics, and even air quality data, according to confidential documents.

Prominent among these innovative offerings is the Solar API, an essential tool that could prove instrumental for solar installation firms like SunRun and Tesla Energy, as well as solar design entities such as Aurora Solar, as per a list of potential clientele. Google’s visionary ambition extends beyond this, with prospects of collaboration encompassing real estate heavyweights like Zillow and Redfin, esteemed hospitality providers like Marriott Bonvoy, and crucial utilities such as PG&E.

A significant portion of the Solar API’s dataset derives from an earlier consumer-centric experiment named Project Sunroof. Initially launched in 2015, this solar savings calculator empowers users to input their address, receiving comprehensive estimates of solar-related costs, encompassing savings on electricity bills and recommendations for the optimal solar panel configuration. Furthermore, it offers cutting-edge 3D models of building rooftops and nearby vegetation, a feature facilitated by Google Maps data.

This trailblazing endeavour involves the sale of API access to both individual building data and aggregated data covering an entire city or county. Impressively, Google professes to possess data pertaining to more than 350 million buildings—an exponential increase from the 60 million buildings cited during the Project Sunroof launch in 2017.

An internal memorandum projects that the solar APIs alone could amass revenue ranging from $90 to $100 million within the first year of launch. The company is also exploring avenues to synergize with Google Cloud products in the future, as indicated by confidential documents.

Coinciding with this grand unveiling, Google intends to introduce an Air Quality API, enabling customers to requisition comprehensive air quality data, encompassing pollutant levels and health-based recommendations specific to designated locations. This dynamic tool further comprises digital heat maps showcasing air quality metrics, hourly updates on air quality conditions, and a historical overview spanning up to 30 days.

As of the time of reporting, Google is yet to provide an official response to inquiries regarding this groundbreaking initiative.