Solar RainbowChildren on a roof with solar panels in Gravesend, Brooklyn. The picture was a winning entry in a photo contest that invited New Yorkers to demonstrate their affection for solar power.

Given that New York City has been falling behind some of its municipal counterparts in new solar power installations, renewable energy advocates are happy to hear that its rooftops can hold more than water tanks and lounge chairs.

As I report in Thursday’s paper, two-thirds of the city’s one million or so buildings are suitable for solar panel installations, as reflected on a new solar map prepared by researchers at the City University of New York in cooperation with the Department of Energy and New York City. That means an estimated 615.4 million square feet in usable roof area is capable of producing half of the city’s power needs at peak periods in the summer.

Mapping Sun’s Potential to Power New York

By MIREYA NAVARRO

Published: June 16, 2011

Two-thirds of New York City’s rooftops are suitable for solar panels and could jointly generate enough energy to meet half the city’s demand for electricity at peak periods, according to a new, highly detailed interactive map to be made public on Thursday.

The map, which shows the solar potential of each of the city’s one-million-plus buildings, is a result of a series of flights over the city by an airplane equipped with a laser system known as Lidar, for light detection and ranging.