Mounting solar panels on the roofs of industrial facilities in the U.S. could provide more than one-third of those factories’ energy needs, a new study suggests.
The report, published by Northeastern University researchers in the journal Environmental Research: Sustainability and Infrastructure, compared the electrical generation potential of industrial rooftop solar arrays with the average manufacturing facility’s electricity demand per unit of floor space.
The analysis found that rooftop panels could provide 5% to as much as 35% of that power demand. Moreover, using solar arrays, manufacturing plants across some 40% of the U.S. could meet their spring and summer energy needs.
The researchers noted that although the manufacturing sector accounts for 38% of energy consumption and 37% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, in the U.S., less than 0.1% of those facilities’ power is met by on-site renewable power — despite solar energy’s declining costs, increasing efficiency, and improved installation. Factories, the study noted, also tend to feature large, flat rooftops that would be particularly well-suited to solar installations.
The report indicated that furniture, textile, and apparel manufacturers would benefit most from on-site solar arrays. Northeastern civil and environmental engineer Matthew Eckelman said that more attention and policy attributed to rooftop solar panels would help multiple industries reach sustainability goals.
