Aerial surveying company Bluesky has secured a €2.4 million investment to fund research into the development of a web-based renewable energy rating platform. Working alongside its European partners, Bluesky will use geographic data to assess the suitability of individual properties for solar energy generation and create an online portal housing this data.
The research will initially focus on the exploitation of geographic data, such as aerial photography and LiDAR, to determine the suitability of a property for renewable energy production. Bluesky hope to eventually create a database encompassing information on every property in the EU. Initially focused on solar generation, it is expected the project will eventually include details on other types of renewable energy.
The project is titled, “Development and demonstration of a dynamic, web based, renewable energy rating platform”, and funding is coming from the Commission of the European Communities under Framework Programme 7. Bluesky will begin the project before the end of 2011, and, when completed, it will retain the rights to the analysis engine, the web portal and backend systems.
Bluesky will be working with a number of organizations and institutions from across Europe, including the UK’s Solar Trade Association, Svensk Solenergi, Solar Macedonia, Spain’s Alemanys Saludes Asociados and the Universities of Leicester, Karlsruhe and Selcuk. The project will be coordinated by the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineers (CIPHE) with Bluesky acting as lead for the technical aspect.
“This is a tremendous achievement for Bluesky and is recognition of the pioneering work we have already undertaken into green energy mapping,” said Rachel Tidmarsh, Managing Director of Bluesky International. “We are proud to be working with some of the leading organisations in this field from across Europe and we are looking forward to the challenges this research project will present.”
Bluesky is attending next week’ Solar Power UK event in Birmingham, which runs from October 26-28, and will be situated at booth R22.
