Renewable Energy Technical Potential Toolkit

Stage 3

Renewable Energy Potential in My Country

Renewable energy potential describes the amount of energy that renewable energy technologies can provide for a given region. For electricity generating technologies, a common measure of potential is gigawatt-hours per year (GWh/year). This describes the amount of electricity that can be generated on an annual basis by a given technology under a certain deployment scenario. It is important to note that this is different from traditional energy reserve estimates, which calculate the total embodied energy of estimated reserves. Renewable energy potential describes the estimated annual generating capacity. This difference is owing to the nature of the resources in question. Fossil resources are finite; renewable resources, though they vary in space and time, are not depleted as they are used.

The approach discussed here is a top-down, regional assessment of renewable energy potential, which aims to estimate the renewable fuel, power or heat generation potential of renewable technologies in a region. This approach does not include any assessment of energy demand or its temporal or geographic distribution across the region. This is distinct from a site-specific assessment in which the energy needs and available resources at a specific location would be compared to evaluate the optimal configuration of technologies for meeting current and future demand at that location.

There are several definitions for renewable potential, and the quantitative estimates of potential will depend greatly on the definition chosen. There is no agreed upon set of definitions, and different definitions used in different contexts. In evaluating renewable potential estimates, it is critical to understand what definition was used to develop the estimates of potential so that they are understood in the appropriate context.

RESOURCE ASSESSMENT: The starting place for any assessment of renewable potential is a characterization of the renewable resources available across a region, a resource assessment. A regional resource assessment will develop gridded data and maps with annual and sometimes monthly intensity of renewable resources for each grid cell. Typical grid cells sizes used in solar resource assessment are 10-km by 10-km or less. Resource assessments for wind, which has greater spatial variability than solar, will often be done at a spatial resolution of 1-km or less. Once resource data are available for a region, the theoretical potential, or upper limit, can be estimated.

GEOGRAPHIC DATA: Geospatial data sets can be used to identify regions that are appropriate for renewable development and those that should be excluded. Global land cover databases are available that describe the land use categories at a spatial resolution of 1 km. Land use categories will include water bodies, urban areas, cropland, forested areas, and more. Additional geographic data defining protected areas will also be required. Elevation data sets can be used to make slope calculations, which may exclude some areas from consideration or be used in later cost calculations. Infrastructure data will be used in estimating the economic potential, which requires consideration of costs to build transportation infrastructure to development sites or extend the electric grid for electricity evacuation.

TECHNOLOGY CHARACTERIZATION: Information on renewable technologies is used to estimate power production potential under varying resource conditions and the costs of generating power with a given technology.

1.1 Solar Energy Potential in My Country

An estimate of the potential for solar energy in a country will include the potential for grid-tied and off-grid photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP). Fixed costs for solar plants are the same whether installed in high-resource or low-resource locations, but the amount of electricity generated is highly dependent on the amount of available solar radiation, the fuel for solar technologies. As a result, a solar resource assessment is an important tool for evaluating what a region’s solar potential is. This resource information can be analyzed in combination with land use information, the costs and conversion efficiency of the technologies that will be deployed, and the country’s market readiness for these technologies.

1.1.1 Potential for Large-Scale Photovoltaics

This module discusses and approach for estimating the potential for deployment of photovoltaic (PV) plants of 1 MW or larger. The primary output is an estimate of annual potential power generation if all land available for large-scale PV generation was developed for that purpose. To evaluate the technical potential for large-scale PV, you will need the following information:

Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) data in GIS format

This analysis assumes you are starting with a solar resource assessment where the available solar resource has been estimated across the country at a uniform resolution with each area representing a grid cell. It follows then that each grid cell would only have one value for solar resource, which represents the annual average solar resource (GHI, for PV analysis) for the entire area covered by the grid cell.

Geographic data describing land use characteristics, including nature preserves and cultural heritage sites

Country planners would need to determine the land use categories appropriate for large-scale PV development. For instance, land use categories such as agricultural, urban, water bodes, nature preserves, and cultural heritage sites might be deemed inappropriate for large-scale PV development. For other land use categories, planners might determine that all or some percentage of the land could be used for PV development. Elevation data sets are used to determine the terrain slope, which is important as trying to install PV plants on steeply sloping land may substantially drive up the costs. In some cases, planners may want to exclude land with slopes above 5% to limit the analysis to the most economically viable sites.

PV technology characterization

This analysis requires assumptions about minimum plant size, density of collectors, and the efficiency of the PV technology to convert incoming radiation to electricity. As we are assuming a minimum plant size of 1 MW, we will need to limit our installations to contiguous land area that meets the geographic screening criteria. When PV plants are planned on sloping terrain, it will be important to adjust the density of installed panels to ensure appropriate there is no panel shading. Though only the PV modules convert sunlight to electricity, a PV plant will not be fully covered by PV modules but will also include balance of system components, access roads and paths, and plant facilities. The fraction of the land covered by modules is the area available for conversion of radiation to electricity. The conversion efficiency will depend on the choice of PV technology.

Once you have compiled all of the required data pieces, the technical potential can be estimated using the following formula.

${AP_{T,PV-lg}} = \sum_{i} {GHI_i} \times {A_i} \times {p} \times {n} \times 365$

AP_T,PV-lg is the technical potential of large-scale PV in kWh year^-1.
i is each grid cell
GHI_i is the annual average global horizontal irradiance of grid cell i in kWh m^-2 day^-1
A_i is the area of grid cell i available for solar development in m²; this value takes into account land use, slope and minimum contiguous area restrictions and is usually determined in a GIS screening process
p is the fraction of the land covered by PV modules
n is the solar to electric conversion efficiency of the technology chosen
365 has units of days year^-1.

This analysis will yield an estimate of annual power production assuming all land designated as suitable for solar power is developed for that purpose and that the technology converts the available solar radiation with the characteristics specified. This analysis does not take into account the economic or market barriers. An expanded study to include these factors would account for the cost of PV technology and necessary grid expansion and enhancements, compare these with other existing or planned power generation facilities and take into account the demand and regulatory framework influencing power generation decisions.

1.1.2 Potential for Concentrating Solar Power

This module discusses and approach for estimating the potential for deployment of concentrating solar plants (CSP). The primary output is an estimate of annual potential power generation if all land available for large-scale CSP generation was developed for that purpose. To evaluate the technical potential for CSP, you will need the following information:

Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) data in GIS format

This analysis assumes you are starting with a solar resource assessment where the available solar resource has been estimated across the country at a uniform resolution with each area representing a grid cell. It follows then that each grid cell would only have one value for solar resource, which represents the annual average solar resource (DNI, for CSP analysis) for the entire area covered by the grid cell.

Geographic data describing land use characteristics, including nature preserves and cultural heritage sites

Country planners would need to determine the land use categories appropriate for large-scale CSP development. For instance, land use categories such as agricultural, urban, water bodes, nature preserves, and cultural heritage sites might be deemed inappropriate for CSP development. For other land use categories, planners might determine that all or some percentage of the land could be used for PV development. Elevation data sets are used to determine the terrain slope, which will be used in determining land suitable for CSP plants.

CSP technology characterization

Producing estimates of CSP potential requires that the analysts make assumptions about plant sizes, the relevant conversion efficiency, the minimum solar resource values for which deployment of the technology is feasible, and the maximum terrain slope that is practical. If you are specifying a minimum plant size, you will need to limit the proposed installations to a minimum contiguous land area that meets the geographic screening criteria. The capacity factors for CSP plants will depend on the technology choice and configuration (parabolic trough or tower and with or without thermal storage) and the average DNI. Finally, CSP plants use tracking systems, so sloping land has to be graded for project installations; this often leads to estimates of CSP potential allowing consideration of only land with very low terrain slope (1% and 3% are maximum values often imposed).

To do rough calculations of CSP potential for a region, it often works best to select a technology that will work throughout the region and use published capacity factors by resource class for all resource levels in the country, noting that below certain levels of DNI CSP deployment is not feasible.

Once you have compiled all of the required data pieces, the regional CSP technical potential can be estimated using the following formula.

${AP_{T,CSP}} = \sum_{i} {A_i} \times {p} \times 8760 \times {CF_i}$

AP_T,CSP is the technical potential of CSP in kWh year^-1
i is each DNI class
A_i is the total area in km2 across the country or region in DNI class i that meets all screening criteria, such as land use suitability, maximum slope, and minimum continuous area; this is usually determined in a GIS screening process
p is the density of CSP plant installation in MW km^-2
8760 is hours year^-1
CF is the capacity factor, which is a unit-less number between 0 and 1

This analysis will yield an estimate of annual power production assuming all land designated as suitable for CSP is developed for that purpose and that the technology converts the available solar radiation with the characteristics specified. This analysis does not take into account the economic or market barriers. An expanded study to include these factors would account for the cost of CSP technology and necessary grid expansion and enhancements, compare these with other existing or planned power generation facilities and take into account the demand and regulatory framework influencing power generation decisions.

1.2 Wind Energy Potential in My Country

An estimate of the potential for wind energy in a country usually focuses on the utility-scale wind potential, and that is the focus of this discussion here. The main output of this type of assessment will be an estimate of annual power generation potential if all land compatible with utility-scale wind development was used for that purpose.

To evaluate the technical potential for utility-scale wind, you will need the following:

Wind resource assessment data in GIS format

As is the case with solar, fixed costs for wind plants are the same whether installed in high-resource or low-resource locations, but the amount of electricity generated is highly dependent on the amount of available wind power, the fuel for wind energy technologies. As a result, a wind resource assessment is an important tool for evaluating a region’s wind potential. This analysis assumes you are starting with a wind resource assessment where the available wind resource has been estimated across the country at a uniform resolution with each area representing a grid cell. It follows then that each grid cell would only have one value for wind resource, which represents the annual average wind speed or wind power for the entire area covered by the grid cell.

Geographic data describing land use characteristics, including nature preserves and cultural heritage sites

Country planners would need to determine the land use categories appropriate for utility-scale wind development. For instance, land use categories such as migratory bird routes and cultural heritage sites might be deemed inappropriate for wind development. For other land use categories, planners might determine that all or some percentage of the land could be used for wind development. Elevation data sets are used to determine the terrain slope, which will be used in determining land suitable for wind plants.

Wind technology characterization

Producing estimates of wind potential requires that the analysts make assumptions about plant sizes, the relevant conversion efficiency, the minimum wind resource values for which deployment of the technology is feasible, and the maximum terrain slope that is practical. If you are specifying a minimum plant size, you will need to limit the proposed installations to a minimum contiguous land area that meets the geographic screening criteria. The capacity factors for wind plants will depend on the technology choice and the average wind resource. Finally the costs of installation can increase considerably for steeply sloping land and the density of turbines may decrease in complex terrain; to account for this a maximum slope may be imposed in the land screening state. Often times, wind resources below a certain value will be deemed not viable for wind power development, so land not meeting the minimum value may be screened out of calculations of wind potential.

To do rough calculations of wind potential for a region, it often works best to select a typical turbine and apply its general characteristics to the analysis, in particular the capacity factor values for various wind power classes.

Once you have compiled all of the required data pieces, the regional wind technical potential can be estimated using the following formula.

${AP_{T,wind}} = \sum_{i} {A_i} \times {p} \times 8760 \times {CF_i}$

AP_T,wind is the technical potential of utility-scale wind in kWh year^-1
i is each wind class
AM_i is the total area in km² across the country or region in wind class i that meets all screening criteria, such as land use suitability, maximum slope, and minimum continuous area; this is usually determined in a GIS screening process
p is the density of wind plant installation in MW km^-2
8760 is hours year^-1
CF is the capacity factor, which is a unit-less number between 0 and 1

This analysis will yield an estimate of annual power production assuming all land designated as suitable for wind is developed for that purpose and that the technology converts the available wind power with the characteristics specified. This analysis does not take into account the economic or market barriers. An expanded study to include these factors would account for the cost of wind technology and necessary grid expansion and enhancements, compare these with other existing or planned power generation facilities and take into account the demand and regulatory framework influencing power generation decisions.

Renewable Energy Assessment Tools

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Tool	Developer	Resources
Power Ally	Boston Cleanweb Hackathon	Application prototype
Badema	Boston Cleanweb Hackathon	Application prototype
Using Microfinance to Expand Access to Energy Services	United States Agency for International Development (USAID)	Case studies/examples Lessons learned/best practices Publications
Chicago Climate Action Plan	City of Chicago	Case studies/examples
Geothermal Site Assessment Using the National Geothermal Data System (NGDS), with Examples from the Hawthorne Ammunition Depot Area	University of Nevada-Reno	Case studies/examples Publications
Rebuilding Greensburg, Kansas, as a Model Green Community: A Case Study	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Case studies/examples
EDIN-USVI Clean Energy Quarterly	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Case studies/examples
Rebuilding It Better: Greensburg, Kansas, Kiowa County Courthouse	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Case studies/examples
Community Renewable Energy Deployment: City of Montpelier Project	United States Department of Energy	Case studies/examples
Low Carbon Society Vision 2050: India	National Institute for Environmental Studies Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad Kyoto University Mizuho Information & Research Institute	Case studies/examples Guide/manual Lessons learned/best practices Publications
City of Aspen Climate Action Plan	City of Aspen	Case studies/examples
Rebuilding After Disaster: Going Green from the Ground Up	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Case studies/examples
Procurement Options for New Renewable Electricity Supply	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Case studies/examples Lessons learned/best practices Technical report
Business Models for Energy Access	EASE-Enabling Access to Sustainable Energy	Case studies/examples Lessons learned/best practices Publications
From Tragedy to Triumph: Rebuilding Greensburg, Kansas, To Be a 100% Renewable Energy City	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Case studies/examples
Rebuilding It Better: Greensburg, Kansas, Kiowa County Memorial Hospital	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Case studies/examples
Community Renewable Energy Deployment: Forest County Potawatomi Tribe	United States Department of Energy	Case studies/examples
Green Growth in Motion: Sharing Korea's Experience	Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)	Case studies/examples
Rebuilding It Better: BTI-Greensburg John Deere Dealership	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Case studies/examples
Innovative Feed-In Tariff Designs that Limit Policy Costs	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Case studies/examples Lessons learned/best practices Technical report
NREL's Renewable Energy Project Finance Website	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Case studies/examples Guide/manual Lessons learned/best practices Publications Software/modeling tools
Greensburg, Kansas--A Better, Greener Place to Live	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Case studies/examples
Renewable-Based Energy Secure Communities (RESCOs) University of California, Merced	California Integrated Renewable Energy Systems	Case studies/examples
Community Renewable Energy Deployment: Haxtun Wind Project	United States Department of Energy	Case studies/examples
Rebuilding It Better: Greensburg, Kansas, Business Incubator	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Case studies/examples
Low-Carbon Society Development: Towards 2025 in Bangladesh	Kyoto University	Case studies/examples
USAID Toolkit for Increasing Energy Access	United States Agency for International Development (USAID)	Case studies/examples Lessons learned/best practices Presentation Publications Training materials Technical report Software/modeling tools Video
NREL-Philippine Wind Farm Analysis and Site Selection Analysis	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Case studies/examples
Community Renewable Energy Deployment: Sacramento Municipal Utility District Projects	United States Department of Energy	Case studies/examples
Rebuilding It Better: Greensburg, Kansas, City Hall	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Case studies/examples
Powering Health	U	Case studies/examples Lessons learned/best practices
Low Carbon Society Toward 2050: Indonesia Energy Sector	National Institute for Environmental Studies Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) Mizuho Information & Research Institute - Japan Kyoto University Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) - Indonesia	Case studies/examples Guide/manual Publications
IRENA Renewable Energy Learning Partnership (IRELP)	International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)	Case studies/examples Guide/manual Lessons learned/best practices Presentation Training materials Webinar Workshop
OLADE-Geo-Information System Referenced Renewable Energy	Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE)	Case studies/examples Maps Training materials Video
Animal Farm Powers Village	M2 Presswire	Case studies/examples
Climate Change Policy in Israel	Ministry of Environmental Protection of Israel	Case studies/examples
Community Renewable Energy Deployment: University of California at at Davis Project	United States Department of Energy	Case studies/examples
Rebuilding It Better: Greensburg, Kansas, K-12 School	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Case studies/examples
NASA-Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy	National Aeronautics and Space Administration	Dataset Maps
UN-Energy Statistics Database	United Nations	Dataset
SolarPaces International CSP Project Information	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Dataset
REEGLE - Clean Energy Information Gateway	Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP)	Dataset Maps Publications
NREL Renewable Energy Databook - 2008	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Dataset
REEEP Toolkits	Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP)	Dataset
Global Renewable Energy Database	German Aerospace Center (DLR)	Dataset Maps
Geothermal Developers' Checklist	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Dataset Guide/manual
APFED-Good Practice Database	Asia-Pacific Forum for Environment and Development (APFED)	Dataset Lessons learned/best practices
REN21 Renewables Interactive Map	Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21)	Dataset Maps
IEA Policies and Measures Database	International Energy Agency (IEA)	Dataset
Legal Energy Information System (SIEL) Database	Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE)	Dataset
Renewable Energy Projections as Published in the National Renewable Energy Action Plans of the European Member States	European Environment Agency Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN)	Dataset
Transparent Cost Database	United States Department of Energy	Dataset Lessons learned/best practices Software/modeling tools
SERN Policy and Regulation Database	Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP)	Dataset
UN-Energy-Measuring Energy Access	United Nations Energy Knowledge Network (UN-Energy)	Dataset Maps
Selected GHG Emission Supply Curves	Northwest Power and Conservation Council	Dataset Publications
An Investment Framework for Clean Energy and Development	World Bank International Monetary Fund	Guide/manual
Capacity Needs Diagnostics for Renewable Energies (CaDRE)	International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH I D A E Instituto para la Diversificacion y Ahorro de la Energia National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Guide/manual
UNDP Readiness for Climate Finance	United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)	Guide/manual Publications
How to Develop A Strategic Energy Plan	United States Department of Energy	Guide/manual
Climate Action Planning Tool	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Guide/manual Online calculator
UNEP Handbook for Drafting Laws on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Resources	United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)	Guide/manual Lessons learned/best practices
Investment: A Guide for Sustainable Energy Enterprises and NGOs	David Irwin	Guide/manual
IREC Renewable Energy Training Best Practices and Recommended Guidelines	Interstate Renewable Energy Council	Guide/manual Training materials Lessons learned/best practices
Increasing the Competitiveness of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Through the Use of Environmentally Sound Technologies	United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia	Guide/manual Lessons learned/best practices
Step by Step Tool Kit for Local Governments to Go Solar	California Energy Commission	Guide/manual Training materials
U.S. Photovoltaic Industry Roadmap	United States Photovoltaics Industry	Guide/manual
SEEAction	United States Department of Energy	Guide/manual Training materials Lessons learned/best practices Case studies/examples Templates
Low Carbon Society Scenarios Towards 2050	National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES)	Guide/manual Lessons learned/best practices Publications Training materials
General Renewable Energy-Legal Documents and Operation Manuals	World Bank	Guide/manual
Community Energy Planning A Guide for Communities Volume 1 - Introduction	Natural Resources Canada	Guide/manual
IEA Technology Roadmaps	International Energy Agency (IEA)	Guide/manual
Training Manual for Senior and Middle Level Managers in Energy Financing	Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP)	Guide/manual Training materials
Catalyzing Low Carbon Growth in Developing Countries	United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)	Guide/manual
China 2050 Pathways Calculator	China's Energy Research Institute (ERI) UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)	Guide/manual Training materials Lessons learned/best practices Online calculator
Geothermal Heat Pumps: Market Status, Barriers to Adoption, and Actions to Overcome Barriers	Oak Ridge National Laboratory	Guide/manual
Guidebook to Geothermal Power Finance	J. Pater Salmon J. Meurice N. Wobus F. Stern And M. Duaime	Guide/manual
UNFCCC-Consolidated baseline and monitoring methodology for landfill gas project activities	United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change	Guide/manual
Introduction to off grid energy options for RE systems	Alternative Energy	Guide/manual
Community Energy Planning A Guide for Communities Volume 2 - The Community Energy Plan	Natural Resources Canada	Guide/manual
Hands-on Energy Adaptation Toolkit (HEAT)	Energy Sector Management Assistance Program of the World Bank (ESMAP)	Guide/manual
Low Carbon Green Growth: Integrated Policy Approach to Climate Change for Asia-Pacific Developing Countries	United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific	Guide/manual
Hazardous Waste: Resource Pack for Trainers and Communicators	International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)	Guide/manual Training materials
U.S. National Hydrogen Energy Roadmap	United States Department of Energy	Guide/manual
State Clean Energy Policies Analysis: State, Utility, and Municipal Loan Programs	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Guide/manual
DOE-Evaluating A Potential Microhydro Site	United States Department of Energy	Guide/manual Training materials
Policy Makers' Guidebook for Geothermal Electricity Generation	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Guide/manual Case studies/examples Templates Technical report
Sustainable Bioenergy: A Framework for Decision Makers	Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations	Guide/manual Lessons learned/best practices
Nama Database Wiki	Ecofys	Guide/manual Lessons learned/best practices Training materials
Community Energy Planning A Resource Guide for Remote Communities in Canada	Natural Resources Canada	Guide/manual
Approaches and Financial Models for Scaling up Norwegian Development Assistance to Clean Energy	Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad)	Guide/manual
Inside stories on climate compatible development	Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN)	Guide/manual Lessons learned/best practices
Parabolic-Trough Technology Roadmap	National Renewable Energy Laboratory United States Department of Energy	Guide/manual
Algae-Based Biofuels: Applications and Co-Products	Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations	Guide/manual
Policy Makers' Guidebook for Geothermal Heating and Cooling	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Guide/manual Case studies/examples Templates Technical report
Community Energy Planning Tool	Oregon Department of Energy	Guide/manual
Preliminary Study on Sustainable Low-Carbon Development Towards 2030 in Vietnam	National Institute for Environmental Studies Kyoto University Asia-Pacific Integrated Model Team	Guide/manual Lessons learned/best practices Publications
Lessons Learned: NREL Village Power Program	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Lessons learned/best practices
Stand-alone Renewable Energy-Best Practices and Lessons Learnt	World Bank	Lessons learned/best practices
General Renewable Energy-Best Practices and Lessons Learnt	World Bank	Lessons learned/best practices
Enabling Environment and Policy Principles for Replicable Technology Transfer: Lessons from Wind Energy in India	UNEP-Risoe Centre	Lessons learned/best practices Case studies/examples
Policies for Low Carbon Growth	Overseas Development Institute	Lessons learned/best practices
Brazil LULUCF Modeling	Energy Sector Management Assistance Program of the World Bank (ESMAP)	Lessons learned/best practices
Survey of Productive Uses of Electricity in Rural Areas	Robert E. Fishbein	Lessons learned/best practices
Gender Mainstreaming Guide for the Africa Biogas Partnership Program	ENERGIA: International Network on Gender and Sustainability Energy	Lessons learned/best practices
Best Practices and Tools for Large-scale Deployment of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Techniques	United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia	Lessons learned/best practices
UN Sustainable Energy for All	United Nations	Lessons learned/best practices
Grid Renewable Energy-Best Practices and Lessons Learnt	World Bank	Lessons learned/best practices
NREL-State of the States 2009: Renewable Energy Development and the Role of Policy	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Lessons learned/best practices
Mini Grid Renewable Energy-Best Practices and Lessons Learnt	World Bank	Lessons learned/best practices
Renewable Energy Case Studies	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Lessons learned/best practices
Lessons Learned: Creating the Chicago Climate Action Plan	City of Chicago	Lessons learned/best practices
Strategies and Decision Support Systems for Integrating Variable Energy Resources in Control Centers for Reliable Grid Operations: Global Best Practices, Examples of Excellence and Lessons Learned	United States Department of Energy	Lessons learned/best practices Publications Technical report
USAID Energy Toolbox	United States Agency for International Development (USAID)	Lessons learned/best practices Presentation Training materials Software/modeling tools
Green Economy: Developing Country Success Stories	United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)	Lessons learned/best practices
Compendium of US Policy Best Practices	Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP)	Lessons learned/best practices
Lessons Learned: Pangue Hydroelectric	International Finance Corporation	Lessons learned/best practices
NREL-MapSearch	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Maps Software/modeling tools
Energy Map: Clean Energy for the Underserved	Ayllu & University of Santa Clara	Maps
ReEDS	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Maps Software/modeling tools
Sandbag Carbon Offset Map	Sandbag	Maps Software/modeling tools
Web Mapping and Online GIS Applications for Renewable Energy	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Maps
Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program (WAsP)	Risoe DTU	Maps Software/modeling tools
RE Atlas	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Maps Software/modeling tools
Bioenergy KDF	US Department of Energy Office of Biomass Program	Maps Presentation Publications Technical report Software/modeling tools
Energy and Cost Savings Calculators for Energy-Efficient Products	US DOE Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP)	Online calculator
Making the Most of Public Finance for Climate Action	World Bank	Presentation
Carbon Market Opportunities for the Forestry Sector of Africa	Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Winrock International	Presentation
NREL/OAS-Regional EERE Training Workshop	National Renewable Energy Laboratory Organization of American States (OAS)	Presentation Training materials Online calculator
NREL-Costa Rica-Energy Efficiency Workshop	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Presentation Training materials Online calculator
IEA-Risk Quantification and Risk Management in Renewable Energy Projects	International Energy Agency (IEA)	Presentation Lessons learned/best practices
Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariffs: Lessons Learned from the U.S. and Abroad Presentation	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Presentation Lessons learned/best practices
The Energy Access Situation in Developing Countries	World Health Organization (WHO) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)	Presentation Technical report
Rural Electrification with Renewable Energy: Technologies, quality standards and business models	The Alliance for Rural Electrification	Publications
UNEP-Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2011	United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Bloomberg New Energy Finance	Publications
Financing Global Climate Change Mitigation	United Nations Economic Commission for Europe	Publications Guide/manual
Global Energy Transfer - Feed-in Tariffs for Developing Countries	Deutsche Bank Group	Publications
USAID-Energy Trends in Developing Asia: Priorities for a Low-Carbon Future	United States Agency for International Development (USAID)	Publications
Bioenergy in India: Barriers and Policy Options	UNEP-Risoe Centre	Publications Lessons learned/best practices Case studies/examples
The Economics of Wind Energy	European Wind Energy Association	Publications
2008 Solar Technologies Market Report	United States Department of Energy	Publications
Publicly Backed Guarantees as Policy Instruments to Promote Clean Energy	United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)	Publications Guide/manual
Green Light for Renewables in Developing Countries	Alliance for Rural Electrification	Publications
List of Publications from the Energy for Development and Poverty Reduction Website	Energy for Development and Poverty Reduction	Publications
PERI Green Economics	Political Economy Research Institute	Publications Lessons learned/best practices
Climate Change: building the resilience of poor rural communities	International Fund for Agricultural Development	Publications
Renewable Energy Technologies for Rural Electrification - The Role of the Private Sector	The Alliance for Rural Electrification	Publications
UNEP-Bioenergy Decision Support Tool	United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)	Publications Guide/manual
Status of Power Sector Reform in Africa: Impact on the Poor	Stephen Karekezi and John Kimani	Publications
Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships to Accelerate Global Electricity Technology Deployment	E8 UN-Energy US Energy Association and World Energy Council	Publications
Empowering Variable Renewables: Options for Flexible Electricity Systems	International Energy Agency (IEA)	Publications
Private Financing of Renewable Energy: A Guide for Policymakers	United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Bloomberg New Energy Finance	Publications Guide/manual
Bridging the Divide Between Poverty Reduction and Climate Change Through Sustainable and Innovative Energy Technologies	Dr. Anilla Cherian	Publications
Appropriate Technology Sourcebook	Village Earth	Publications
Low-Carbon Technology Cooperation in the Climate Regime	Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN)	Publications
2010 Solar Market Transformation Analysis and Tools	United States Department of Energy	Publications Guide/manual
The Welfare Impact of Rural Electrification: A Reassessment of the Costs and Benefits	World Bank	Publications Technical report
Alleviating energy poverty for the world's poor	Ambuj Sagar	Publications
Renewable Energy Technology Costs and Drivers	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Publications
An Enabling Framework for Wind Power in Colombia: What are the Lessons from Latin America?	UNEP-Risoe Centre	Publications Lessons learned/best practices Case studies/examples
Measuring Energy Access: Supporting a Global Target	Columbia University	Publications
Reforming Power Markets in Developing Countries	World Bank	Publications Lessons learned/best practices
Best Practices of the Alliance for Rural Electrification: what renewable energy can achieve in developing countries	Alliance for Rural Electrification	Publications
OECD-A Green Growth Strategy for Energy	Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)	Publications Technical report
Scaling up Renewable Energy in Developing Countries: finance and investment perspectives	Kirsty Hamilton	Publications
Energy for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development: UNDP Energy Documents and Publications Catalogue	United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)	Publications
Strengthening Clean Energy Technology Cooperation under the UNFCCC	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Publications
Opportunities for the Use of Renewable Energy in Road Transport	Renewable Energy Technology Deployment	Publications Guide/manual
Low Carbon Growth Plans: A Sectoral Approach to Climate Protection	ClimateWorks	Publications
Maximizing the Productive Uses of Electricity to Increase the Impact of Rural Electriﬁcation Programs	Christophe de Gouvello and Laurent Durix	Publications
Energy for Sustainable Development: Policy Options for Africa	United Nations Economic Commission for Africa	Publications
Best Practices and Design Options for Feed-in Tariffs	International Feed-in Cooperation	Publications Lessons learned/best practices
Reducing rural poverty through increased access to energy services: a review of the multifunctional platform project in Mali	Abeeku Brew-Hammond & Anna Crole-Rees	Publications
Accelerating Climate Technologies: Innovative Market Strategies to Overcome Barriers to Scale-up	Clean Energy Group	Publications Guide/manual
Poverty and Energy in Africa - A Brief Review	Stephen Karekezi - African Energy Research Policy Network	Publications
OECD-Fostering Innovation for Green Growth	Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)	Publications Technical report
A New Scheme for the Promotion of Renewable Energies in Developing Countries: The Renewable Energy Regulated Purchase Tariff	JRC European Commission	Publications
World Bank Renewable Energy Toolkit	World Bank	Publications Guide/manual Training materials Lessons learned/best practices
Initiatives Related to Climate Change in Ghana	Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN)	Publications
Public Finance Mechanisms to Catalyze Sustainable Energy Sector Growth	United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)	Publications
Technology Mapping of the Renewable Energy, Buildings and Transport Sectors: Policy Drivers and International Trade Aspects	International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development	Publications Guide/manual
Contribution of energy services to the Millennium Development Goals and to poverty alleviation in Latin America and the Caribbean	UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean; UNDP; Club de Madrid; GTZ	Publications Technical report
Vietnam-USAID Country Report	United States Agency for International Development (USAID)	Publications
Policymakers' Guidebook for Geothermal Electricity Generation	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Publications Guide/manual
An Energy Model for a Low Income Rural African Village	Howells Alfstad Victor Goldstein and Remme	Publications
Decentralized Rural Electrification: the Critical Success Factors	Ray Holland Lahiru Perera Teodoro Sanchez Dr Rona Wilkinson	Publications
Post 2012 Climate Regime	Umwelt Bundes Amt	Publications
Monitoring Climate Finance and ODA	World Bank	Publications
Strategies to Finance Large-Scale Deployment of Renewable Energy Projects: An Economic Development and Infrastructure Approach	International Energy Agency (IEA)	Publications
FIT for Use Everywhere? Assessing Experiences With Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariffs	UNEP-Risoe Centre	Publications Case studies/examples
Index of Energy Security Risk	United States Chamber of Commerce Institute for 21st Century Energy	Publications
Public Finance Mechanisms to Mobilize Investment in Climate Change Mitigation	United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)	Publications Guide/manual
Access to Climate Change Technology by Developing Countries	International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development	Publications Guide/manual
The Public, the Private and the Hybrid: Mapping the Governance of Energy Finance	Economic and Social Research Council	Publications
Appropriate Technology Library	Village Earth	Publications
Rural Energy: A Practical Primer for Productive Applications	Jerome Weingart and Daniele Giovannucci	Publications
End-User Finance: A Guide for Sustainable Energy Enterprises and NGOs	Jacob Winiecki Ellen Moris and Niki Armacost	Publications
Effective Community-Wide Policy Technical Assistance: The NREL/DOE Approach	National Renewable Energy Laboratory United States Department of Energy	Publications Guide/manual Lessons learned/best practices
Wien Automatic System Planning (WASP) Package	International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)	Software/modeling tools
IAEA Planning and Economic Studies Section (PESS) Capacity Building	International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)	Software/modeling tools Training materials
Integrated Global System Modeling Framework	MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change	Software/modeling tools
Financial Analysis of Electric Sector Expansion Plans (FINPLAN)	International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)	Software/modeling tools
Biofuels Techno-Economic Models	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Software/modeling tools
RETScreen International Training Courses	Natural Resources Canada	Software/modeling tools Training materials
Model for Energy Supply System Alternatives and their General Environmental Impacts (MESSAGE)	International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)	Software/modeling tools
Power System Generation and Inter-Connection Planning Model (SUPER)	Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE)	Software/modeling tools
Prospective Outlook on Long-Term Energy Systems (POLES)	European Commission	Software/modeling tools
Tidal Stream Power Web GIS Tool	Georgia Tech Savannah	Software/modeling tools
DOE Energy Technology Prices and Trends	United States Department of Energy	Software/modeling tools
Model for Analysis of Energy Demand (MAED-2)	International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)	Software/modeling tools
PVWatts	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Software/modeling tools Online calculator
Energy poverty: how to make modern energy access universal?	International Energy Agency (IEA)	Technical report
Poor People's Energy Outlook 2010	Practical Action	Technical report
Humboldt County RESCO Project	Redwood Coast Energy Authority	Technical report
Secondary Energy InfoBook	United States Department of Energy	Training materials
DOE-Energy 101: Energy Management Monthly Training	United States Department of Energy	Training materials
Photovoltaics Design and Installation Manual	Solar Energy International	Training materials
IGES-Market Mechanism Group	Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)	Training materials
Tool for Rapid Assessment of City Energy (TRACE)	Energy Sector Management Assistance Program of the World Bank (ESMAP)	Training materials Software/modeling tools
Climate Technology Initiative Training Courses	Climate Technology Initiative (CTI)	Training materials
Introduction to Hydrogen for Code Officials	United States Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Training materials
Low Carbon Development: Planning & Modelling Course	World Bank	Training materials Workshop
Training Manual for Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneurs in Energy Business Financing	GVEP International	Training materials
Solar design T-square	Brian White	Training materials Video
Videos: The Alternative Energy Series	Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP)	Training materials
United States Department of Energy Solution Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency	United States Department of Energy	Training materials
CESC-Webinar: Building an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Driven Economy: How Policies Can Foster Risk Capital Investment in Renewable Energy	Clean Energy Solutions Center National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Video Presentation Webinar Training materials
United States Department of Energy Technical Assistance Project (TAP) Webinar Archive	United States Department of Energy	Webinar Training materials
Energy for Sustainable Development	United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Lund University	Webinar Training materials
Feed-in Tariffs: Best Practices and Application in the U.S.	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Webinar Training materials Lessons learned/best practices
GHG Management Institute curriculum	Greenhouse Gas Management Institute (GHGMI)	Webinar Workshop Publications Training materials Case studies/examples
Webinar on Development Impact Assessment for Low Emissions Development	National Renewable Energy Laboratory Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) Joint Implementation Network (JIN) Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH	Webinar Training materials
Leonardo Energy	European Copper Institute	Webinar Training materials
Earthscan Webinars	Earthscan	Webinar Training materials
Global Feed-in Tariffs Project	World Future Council	Workshop Publications Guide/manual Training materials Lessons learned/best practices
NREL-United States/Brazil Bioenergy Technical Workshop	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Workshop Training materials
Renewable Energy Workshops and Study Tours	World Bank	Workshop
Global Best Practice in Renewable Energy Policy Making Workshop	International Energy Agency (IEA)	Workshop Lessons learned/best practices
From Roadmaps to Implementation Workshop	International Energy Agency (IEA)	Workshop Lessons learned/best practices

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Country-Specific Renewable Energy Programs

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Tool	Developer	Resources
Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas	Organization of American States (OAS)	Case studies/examples
International Energy Initiative	International Energy Initiative	Case studies/examples
Observatory of Renewable Energy for Latin America and the Caribbean	Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE)	Dataset Software/modeling tools
Mexico-World Bank Climate Projects	World Bank	Dataset
Ghana-DLR Resource Assessments	German Aerospace Center (DLR)	Dataset Maps Software/modeling tools
Vietnam-Renewable Energy Action Plan	World Bank	Guide/manual
Governance for Sustainable Development in the Arab Region	United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia	Guide/manual
Uganda-Demonstrating Wind and Solar Energy on Lake Victoria	United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)	Guide/manual Lessons learned/best practices
National Energy Map for India:Technology Vision 2030	Government of India The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)	Guide/manual
International Energy Agency Technology Roadmap for Wind Energy	International Energy Agency (IEA)	Guide/manual
Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate	Major Economies Forum	Lessons learned/best practices
Building GHGs National Inventory Systems	Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH	Lessons learned/best practices
Promoting Low Emission Urban Development Strategies in Emerging Economy Countries Project (URBAN LEDS)	ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability	Lessons learned/best practices Training materials
Clean Energy Investment in Developing Countries: Wind Power in Egypt	International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)	Lessons learned/best practices
Supporting International Mitigation and MRV activities	Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH	Lessons learned/best practices
World Business Council for Sustainable Development-Case Studies	World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)	Lessons learned/best practices
Rural Energy Services Best Practices	United States Agency for International Development (USAID)	Lessons learned/best practices
Opportunities and Challenges to Scaling-up Wind Power in Vietnam	Asian Development Bank	Presentation
Mexico-National Program for Sustainable Use of Energy	Government of Mexico	Presentation
Clean Energy Options for Sabah: An Analysis of Resource Availability and Cost	UC Berkeley- Energy Institute	Publications
Regional Study to Guide Policy Interventions for Enhancing the Development and Transfer of Publicly-Funded Environmentally Sound Technologies in Asia and the Pacific Region	United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific	Publications
Tanzania-Biofuels, Land Access and Rural Livelihoods	International Institute for Environment and Development	Publications
Development of the Electricity Carbon Emission Factors for Russia	European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)	Publications
Kenya-Affecting Electricity Policy through a Community Micro Hydro Project	United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)	Publications
China-Medium and Long Term Energy Conservation Plan	Government of China	Publications
Indonesia and Climate Change: Current Status and Policies	World Bank Department for International Development Indonesia	Publications
IEA Renewable Energy Technology Deployment	International Energy Agency - Renewable Energy Technology Deployment Implementing Agreement	Publications
IRENA Renewable Energy Indicators	World Watch Institute (WWI)	Publications
IEA Renewables in Southeast Asian Countries: Trends and Potentials	International Energy Agency (IEA)	Publications
Clean Energy Investment and Climate Change	International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)	Publications
Patents and Clean Energy: Bridging the Gap Between Evidence and Policy	United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)	Publications
World Bank-Low-carbon Energy Projects for Development in Sub-Saharan Africa	World Bank	Publications
Australia - Energy Resource Assessment	Australian Government	Publications
The UNEP-SEFI Public Finance Alliance	United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)	Publications Guide/manual
Carbon Offsets for Forestry and Bioenergy: Researching Opportunities for Poor Rural Communities	Overseas Development Institute	Publications
China-DLR Resource Assessments	German Aerospace Center (DLR)	Software/modeling tools Dataset Maps
Kenya-DLR Cooperation	German Aerospace Center (DLR)	Software/modeling tools Dataset Maps
Tunisia-DLR Resource Assessments	German Aerospace Center (DLR)	Software/modeling tools Dataset Maps
Ethiopia-DLR Resource Assessments	German Aerospace Center (DLR)	Software/modeling tools Dataset Maps
Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre-IEA Cooperation	Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre International Energy Agency (IEA)	Software/modeling tools
Algeria-DLR Resource Assessments	German Aerospace Center (DLR)	Software/modeling tools Dataset Maps
Sri Lanka-DLR Cooperation	German Aerospace Center (DLR)	Software/modeling tools Dataset Maps
Jordan-DLR Resource Assessments	German Aerospace Center (DLR)	Software/modeling tools Dataset Maps
Ghana-Assessing Policy Options for Increasing the Use of Renewable Energy for Sustainable Development	United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency	Software/modeling tools Publications Lessons learned/best practices
Nepal-DLR Resource Assessments	German Aerospace Center (DLR)	Software/modeling tools Dataset Maps
China-Assessing Policy Options for Increasing the Use of Renewable Energy for Sustainable Development	United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency	Software/modeling tools Publications Lessons learned/best practices
Bangladesh-DLR Resource Assessments	German Aerospace Center (DLR)	Software/modeling tools Dataset Maps
Grenada-Caribbean Solar Finance Program	Organization of American States (OAS)	Training materials
ASEAN-IEA Activities	International Energy Agency (IEA)	Workshop Training materials
International Workshop on Small Scale Wind Energy for Developing Countries	Risoe DTU	Workshop Training materials Lessons learned/best practices
InfoDev and DFID Climate Technology Program	World Bank Information for Development Program (infoDev)	Workshop
Thailand-IEA Activities	International Energy Agency (IEA)	Workshop

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Evaluate my solar resource availability?

A solar resource assessment provides information on available solar resource in time and space. The amount of solar radiation reaching a certain point will depend on what is encountered on the path through the atmosphere.

Ground data collection and numerical model estimates are the two methods for estimating solar resource. Microclimate, terrain variations and land use can contribute to spatial variability of the resource, which cannot be comprehensively captured by ground monitoring because of the expense and time required to collect data at each site. Models allow for prediction of solar resource across a region, and can be validated against ground measurements to help assess model accuracy. Model estimates will never be more accurate than ground measurements. DNI measurements from well-maintained ground stations will have an expected measurement uncertainty between +/- 2.5% and +/- 5%, depending on the technology. Most models of solar resource in use today rely on satellite imagery to estimate cloud cover and relate top of atmosphere radiation to ground radiation though physical and/or empirical models. Models run at higher spatial resolution (smaller grid cells) will avoid any smoothing out of variation due to terrain and microclimate effects. The text box below lists some of the considerations when selecting solar resource data. Additional information can be found in the NREL Best Practices Handbook for Collection and Use of Solar Resource Data.

Key Considerations

Applying solar and meteorological data from different sources requires attention to these key considerations:

Period of record. Influenced by many factors, solar resource data vary from year to year, seasonally, monthly, weekly, daily, and on timescales down to a few seconds. Thus, climate normals are based on 30 years of meteorological data. Another popular approach is to determine a TMY dataset from a statistical analysis of multiyear data to derive a single year of data that are representative of a longer term record. Comparative analyses must account for any natural differences that result from the periods when the data were acquired.
Temporal resolution. Solar resource data can range from annually averaged daily-integrated power (kWh/m²/day) typically used for mapping resource distributions to 1-s sampled of irradiance (W/m²) for operational time-series analyses.

Other considerations depend on the data type:

Spatial coverage. The area represented by the data can range from a single station to a sample geographic region to a global perspective.
Spatial resolution. Ground-based measurements are site specific. Current satellite-remote sensing estimates can be representative of 10-km x 10-km or smaller areas.
Data elements and sources of the data. The usefulness of solar resource data may depend on the available data elements (e.g., DNI) and whether the data were measured, modeled, or produced in combination.
Data quality control and quality assessments. Descriptions of the measurement operations, model validation methods, and data adjustments or corrections are key metadata elements.
Estimated uncertainties. States uncertainties should include a description of the methodology used to provide this information.
Availability. Data are distributed in the public domain, for purchase, or license.
Updates. The need to include the most recent data and other revisions can require regular database updates.

Estimates of regional solar potential rely on the solar maps created through a solar resource assessment and mapping project, and these will provide annual or monthly average radiation for equally sized grid cells across the region of study. Not all countries have had their solar data mapped at high resolution, though the NASA SSE data at approximately 100 km spatial resolution provides global coverage of both GHI and DNI .

Existing solar data and information and resource assessment can be found through the following sites:

NREL Best Practices Handbook for Collection and Use of Solar Resource Data

This document provides detailed information about solar resources, how various estimates of solar resource availability are generated, and helps match data needs to various parts of the solar power planning and development cycle.

OpenEI Energy Datasets

This website provides links to several different energy datasets, including solar resource data in GIS format. Datasets can be filtered by country or type by using the search function at the top.

UNEP Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment Programme

Interactive mapping and data viewing and download options for solar products developed by several research organizations.

Photovoltaic Geographic Information System (PVGIS)

Interactive tool for viewing GHI availability in Europe and Africa with PV production. The site also provides links to other solar data sources.

UNEP Solar Benchmarking Tool

This site allows users to search for available solar data sets by both geography and technology application and reports on quality indicators for all sites available.

Evaluate my wind resource availability?

A wind resource assessment provides information on available wind resource in time and space. Ground data collection, numerical model estimates and upper air measurements are all methods for estimating solar resource. Microclimate, terrain variations and land use can contribute to spatial variability of the resource, which cannot be comprehensively captured by ground monitoring because of the expense and time required to collect data at each site. Numerical models allow for estimation of wind resource across a region, and can be validated against ground measurements to help assess model accuracy.

Estimates of regional wind potential rely on the wind maps and underlying data created through a wind resource assessment and mapping project, and these will provide annual or monthly average wind speed or power for equally-sized grid cells across the region of study. Not all countries have had their wind data mapped at high resolution, and undertaking such a study is often a first step to developing an estimate of wind potential.

A wind resource assessment may either present the information in terms of wind power class (unit-less), wind speed (meters per second) or wind power density (watts per square meter). As wind speeds increase with increasing height above the earth’s surface, a wind resource assessment will specify at what height the data presented apply. Assessments typically present data for 50 or 80 meters above the earth’s surface, as these are typical hub heights for utility-scale wind turbines. Below is a table that shows how the three parameters are related at 50 meters above the earth’s surface. Note that the relationship between wind speed and wind power density will be specific to a location as the wind power depends not only on the average wind speed but the full distribution of wind speeds. For more information on the relationship between wind speed and wind power density, see Calculation of Wind Power Density in Appendix A for the US Wind Atlas.

Wind Power Classification
Wind Power Class	Wind Resource Potential	Wind Power Density at 50m (W m^-2)	Average Wind Speed at 50m (m s^-1)
1	Poor	0-200	0-5.6
2	Marginal	200-300	5.6-6.4
3	Moderate	300-400	6.4-7.0
4	Good	400-500	7.0-7.5
5	Excellent	500-600	7.5-8.0
6		600-800	8.0-8.8
7		>800	>8.8
* Wind speeds are based on a Weibull k value of 2.0

Existing wind data and information on wind resource assessments can be found through the following sites:

OpenEI Energy Datasets

This website provides links to several different energy datasets, including solar resource data in GIS format. Datasets can be filtered by country or type by using the search function at the top.

UNEP Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment Programme

Interactive mapping and data viewing and download options for solar products developed by several research organizations.

NREL Wind Resource Assessment

This Web page provides links to information and resources and data on wind resource assessment.

Wind Atlases of the World

This Web page provides information on some completed international wind resource assessments.

WAsP – Wind Atlas Analysis and Applications System

This website provides information on WaSP, including the use of the tool for wind resource assessments. Information on certified users and courses is also provided.

Access the necessary geographic data?

Land cover classification data are available in GIS formats and identify land parcels by their predominant uses, such as urban, forested, agricultural, or barren lands. Additional data on nature reserves and areas of cultural importance are typically ill-suited to renewable energy development, and data sets identifying these areas will also be needed in assessing potential development sites. Often countries have their own sophisticated GIS data and analysis departments that can provide the highest resolution and most accurate data. In the absence of these capabilities, the United States Geological Service (USGS) provides data on land use and elevation. The United Nations maintains a list of protected areas, which can be downloaded in GIS format from the World Database on Protected Areas.

The following websites provide some of the data required for conducting analyses of geographic potential.

USGS Land Cover Institute

This website provides links to websites providing GIS data with global coverage. The GIS data sets can be brought into a GIS for analysis with the solar resource data.

USGS Earth Resources and Observation Center

This website provides links to GIS data with global coverage of elevation at resolutions of 1 km or finer.

NREL Geospatial Toolkits

NREL has developed Geospatial Toolkits for several countries, which combine renewable resource data with other geographic data, including elevation and land use, in a GIS framework for easy analysis of land use and slope limitations of development.

World Database on Protected Areas

The UN maintains a database contains all protected areas, which includes nature preserves, bird sanctuaries, and cultural heritage sites. This website provides access to those data in GIS and other formats.

Determine technology characteristics for large-scale photovoltaics?

This discussion takes into account two important elements of solar technology:

Solar technologies do not convert incoming radiation into electricity with 100% efficiency
Some of the land area in a solar power installation will not be occupied by solar collectors but instead by balance of plant elements, such as access roads and facilities.

Because of this, we need to take into account two other factors: the density of the collectors themselves and the conversion efficiency of the technology being deployed.

Collector density will depend on technology configuration, and some values of actual PV plant density can help guide values for this purpose. For instance, if you determine that utility-scale PV plant would have a density of approximately 40 MW km^-2, this would be equivalent of 0.04 kW m^-2.

The efficiency of the PV array to convert solar radiation reaching the modules into electrical energy and the efficiency of the balance of the system in converting this electrical energy into useable energy. Crystalline silicon PV systems convert sunlight to energy with a higher efficiency than do thin-film PV technologies. There will also be losses when converting the DC output from the module into AC output for use. For instance, 10% array efficiency and a 0.77 derate factor in converting the DC output to AC output would yield a total system efficiency of 7.7% or 0.077 of the total incident radiation being delivered as AC output from the system.

Note that when analyzing PV systems, electricity yields can be greater if the panels are oriented at an angle that optimizes collection over the year or if tracking systems are used. Either of these configurations would change the estimate of solar radiation reaching the collector, and so the resource values would differ from those provided in a GHI data set.

The following websites provide information on some of the data required for estimating the technical potential of solar energy.

SolarByTheWatt.com

Provides plant density values for existing PV and CSP plants.

2008 Solar Technologies Market Report (PDF)

This report provides information on the costs and trends of PV cell and system efficiency.

OpenEI Energy Technology Cost and Performance Data

This site provides workbooks with cost and performance data for various energy technologies.

Determine technology characteristics for concentrating solar power?

Concentrating solar power plants will be rated according to the maximum generating, or “peak”, capacity. The amount of land required for plants of a certain capacity will depend on technology and the level of storage that is incorporated into the plant design. The actual level of power generation of a CSP plant will depend on the technology and the direct normal irradiance (DNI) component of solar resource available at the plant’s location.

The first choice to make when assessing the CSP potential is decide what your “typical CSP plant” will look like. Will it be a power tower or will it be a parabolic trough system? Will it incorporate thermal storage and, if so, how much? Once you decide on these characteristics, you can use published data on plant size and performance to approximate a footprint and output for a typical plant.

For a parabolic trough system without thermal storage, you might estimate that you need approximately 1 km² per 50 MW CSP capacity and this is the minimum plant size you want to consider. This establishes two of the parameters required for estimating CSP potential: minimum contiguous area of 1 km² and plant density of 50 MW km^-2. These values may differ significantly if your typical plant has thermal storage.

Another parameter to establish is how your typical plant’s output will vary at locations with different average DNI values. One approach is to develop a table that establishes the different resource classes present in the region, what DNI values each class corresponds to and the expected capacity factor (CF) for that class based on the technology configuration. It is important to note that the CF will differ depending on the thermal storage incorporated into the plant design. An example of what such a table might look like is shown below.

DNI Class	DNI Values (kWh m^-1day^-1)	CF (parabolic trough; no thermal storage)
0	<5	0
1	5-6.25	0.199
2	6.25-7.25	0.248
3	7.25-7.5	0.277
4	7.5-7.75	0.284
5	>7.75	0.295

Determine technology characteristics for wind?

The amount of land needed for a wind plant will vary depending on the turbine sizes chosen and the terrain features where the plant is being sited. Wind farms can average 30-80 MW per acre (1 acre is approximately 4,000 m²), but the actual turbine footprint will only occupy approximately 3-5% of that land. Many analyses will assume a total installed capacity of 5 MW per km² and adjust this downward as needed for terrain variation after limiting consideration to land with a terrain slope of less than 20%. For utility-scale wind projects, developers may seek economies of scale and so want to limit minimum plant size to 30 MW or more. This is something that can be included in an analysis of wind potential by establishing a minimum contiguous land area.

Another parameter to establish is how your wind plant’s output will vary at locations with different wind class values values. Manufacturers publish information on turbine performance at various wind speeds, and some published resources provide average capacity factors for various wind classes and turbine sizes. Eventually, you will want to establish an estimated capacity factor for each wind power class encountered in the region, such as is shown below. Wind resource below wind power class 3 is currently not considered viable for utility-scale development, but this could change in the future with technology advancements.

Wind Power Class	CF
3	0.36
4	0.39
5	0.43
6	0.46
7	0.50

The following websites provide information on some of the data required for estimating the technical potential of wind energy.

Wind Energy Toolkit

This document provides an overview of considerations for wind power development.

OpenEI Energy Technology Cost and Performance Data