About Look Up
Our villages, towns and cities are full of roofs, just waiting to be turned into solar power stations.
All we need to do to find them is Look Up!
Look Up harnesses smartphone tech to let anyone size up a roof for solar panels in seconds – no special knowledge required. It's a bit like Pokémon Go, but for solar.
Here's how it works
1
Find a roof that you think might look good with solar panels on and fire up the app to check it out.
2
In two simple steps you can add the roof to our treasure map. Then find out how much power it could produce by adding a few more details.
3
Share your find on social media and climb up the leaderboard.
I've found a roof, what's next?
That’s up to you. By adding roofs to our treasure map, you’re helping show the massive untapped potential for solar power in the UK, making the case for a renewable-powered future that bit stronger, and the move towards it a little bit closer. So if that’s where you want to leave it, we’re ok with that. But there is more, if you want it!
Run a Solar treasure hunt
The Look Up app is a great way to get people excited about solar power. So gather a group of people - it could be a few friends, your Scout group or the local WI – and set them off to see who can find the most solar treasure (roofs!). We've made a handy guide on how to get started.
Get some solar panels on that roof!
It’s been a rocky road for solar over the last 12 months, with the government slashing their support for renewables. But that doesn’t mean that putting up panels isn’t a good idea.
If you’ve found a roof that….
- faces south with no shade,
- would be easy to reach and install the panels on (you know, not too much scaffolding, and made of metal or tiles),
- is on a building that uses plenty of electricity during the day (like a school or an office)...
Then it’s very possible that putting up solar panels makes sense for the wallet, as well as the planet!
If it’s a building that you’re in charge of, then get in touch with a local solar installer. They'll be able to give your roof a proper survey and work out how many panels it could take and how much it'd cost.
If it’s a roof that belongs to someone else, then try community energy! That means forming or joining a community based group that agrees a lease with the building owner to put panels on their roof.
There might already be a community energy group nearby you could team up with. Have a look at the membership lists on Community Energy England, Community Energy Wales or Community Energy Scotland.
If there isn't anyone near you, the Community Energy Resource Hub has everything you need to start one yourself.
If you're a solar installer, unfortunately we can't give you any of the data collected from Look Up. However, take a look at the map in your area - there may well be a few roofs logged you can have a look at!
Finally…
Solar treasure hunting only the beginning - there are loads more things you can do to cut your carbon and become Unstoppable.
And we’d love to hear from you. If you’ve enjoyed using the app, or you’ve run a solar treasure hunt, or it’s got you involved in community energy then we'd love to hear from you! Drop us an email with your story.
Who's behind Look Up?
Look Up was made by 10:10, the carbon cutting campaign.
We’re all about helping people take positive, practical action on climate change, and for the last few years that’s seen us focus on clean energy and how communities can get involved. Mapping your local area's solar potential with Look Up is one way to do that, but there are loads more. Together, we are unstoppable.