The World Bank, in partnership with the International Solar Alliance (ISA), announced the launch January 20 of its Global Solar Atlas at an ISA event at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.
The free online tool is designed to help investors and policymakers identify potential sites for generating solar energy virtually anywhere in the world. The tool shows annual solar power potential and has the capacity to zoom into areas in great detail, with a spatial resolution of 1 kilometre (0.6 miles).
According to the World Bank, the tool can also provide access to high-resolution global and regional maps and geographical information system (GIS) data, allowing users to print poster maps and utilise the data in other applications.
The Global Solar Atlas will provide solar developers and investors with an easily accessible platform to compare resource potential between different national and international sites, saving governments’ money and time compiling their own data.
The data will also be accessible through the International Renewable Energy Agency’s Global Atlas for Renewable Energy, allowing users to overlay additional data, including transmission lines and protected areas to identify potential sites for solar development.
The World Bank, with funding from Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), intends to install solar measurement stations in more than 20 countries over the next four years to reduce the risks associated with higher margins of uncertainty.
The data are currently being published via Energydata.info and will be made publicly available.