Boston residents and businesses may now go online and learn about the solar power potential of their homes and buildings, including installation cost estimates. Mayor Martin Walsh on Tuesday announced Solar System Boston, a mapping system the city has launched in partnership with Greenovate Boston and Mapdwell, an MIT spinoff, that the mayor says will allow users to explore their own potential to take advantage of solar prices that the Dorchester Democrat says are "plummeting."

City officials say the tool - available at mapdwell.com/en/boston - has mapped all 127,000 buildings in Boston and found that the city has the potential for 2.2 gigawatts of solar power. The city currently has 12 megawatts of solar installed or enough to power 2,000 homes. The age and condition of rooftops and financing constraints may rule out solar as an option, but the Walsh administration, noting the availability of incentives, is encouraging Bostonians to explore their options. The city itself is in the midst of analyzing which of its buildings have the best solar potential.