The solar atlas reveals the intensity of solar irradiation. Photo: DLR

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Press Release "Global Atlas for Solar and Wind Energy launched"

First Solar and Wind Energy Atlas

The sun and wind are the most important renewable energy sources, however, they are not always and everywhere available. When planning energy plants it is therefore essential to be able to assess the prospective site's potential. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) now have presented the world-wide first solar and wind energy atlas.

This atlas is a database consolidating all existing information within one portal. With this tool, investors can better assess the utilisation of renewable energies at different sites, politicians and scientists can use the data as a basis for effective measures for the promotion and market launch of new technologies. The initiative is coordinated by IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Agency with headquarters in Abu Dhabi and Bonn, and by the Department for Systems Analysis and Technology Assessment at the DLR Institute of Technical Thermodynamics. In creating the atlas, the DLR contributes remote sensing data and the development of the web portal for geographical data.

During the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) forum, that was held in London at the end of April 2012, prime ministers from many countries collected information as to where building wind parks and solar energy plants would prove particularly lucrative. "If we were to achieve the adaptation of funding instruments to reflect locally available irradiation or wind conditions and to increase the number of investments in renewable energies, this would be a huge success for the global Solar and Wind Energy Atlas", says Carsten Hoyer-Klick, project manager for the atlas at the DLR.

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