LOCATE SOLAR

LOCATE SOLAR® is a national rooftop solar suitability database covering more than 29 million buildings across England, Scotland and Wales, each with over 35 solar-centric attributes. It combines open data, including LiDAR-derived digital surface models, with Ordnance Survey building footprints and applies automated analysis to each roof. The method identifies roof pitch, aspect and usable area, then calculates solar irradiation. From these it estimates system size, yield, installation cost, energy savings, export revenue and CO₂ savings over 1 and 20 years for each building. This replaces much of the manual effort of rooftop surveys.

Key capabilities:

• Rooftop Geometry & Analysis: Automated interrogation of LiDAR surface data within each building footprint to find roof type, mean pitch, mean aspect and solar-suitable space.
• Solar Suitability & Prioritisation: Property-level suitability intelligence, with criteria filtering and instant on-screen feedback to rank and prioritise investments.
• Financial & Environmental Modelling: Estimates of system size and cost, energy yield, self-consumption versus grid export, payback period, energy savings, export revenue and CO₂ reduction. The 2024 release updated these for current panel outputs, including 450W modules.
• Map-Based Web Platform: A fully web-based LOCATE app with several map backdrops, including satellite imagery. No third-party software or maintenance is needed, and a free two-week trial is available.
• Flexible Data Delivery: Filtered exports and location-specific reports, GIS-compatible data in various formats, and an API feed for integration.

LOCATE SOLAR launched in March 2023. Local authorities using it include Essex, Kent and West Sussex County Councils, the London Borough of Lambeth, Uttlesford District Council and Winchester City Council. Lambeth reported that it saved 'months' of roof survey time. Through PowerCircle Projects it was used to assess 4,000 social housing properties for Westminster City Council. Geospatial Insight also works with solar developers, battery storage developers and social housing associations, and describes LOCATE SOLAR as the first database of its kind in the UK.