National Renewable Energy Atlases

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Background information:

In 2022, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) conducted a comprehensive energy survey for National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs). The survey found that many NMHSs either have outdated national atlases or lack essential climate projection data in their atlases. Recognizing the importance of addressing this need to support the global massive renewable energy transition, the WMO launched an initiative aimed at supporting WMO Members in developing or updating their atlases for wind, solar, and hydropower based on a step-by-step approach.

The first phase of this initiative, starting in January 2024, is nearing completion. During this phase, four WMO Members received support to develop their national atlases in close collaboration with other relevant national entities, such as energy ministries: Chile and I.R. Iran (solar atlas), Malawi (hydropower atlas), and Costa Rica (Wind atlas). As part of this effort, WMO produced a technical document and open-source codes designed to provide a clear, step-by-step procedure for technical staff within NMHSs and relevant national institutions to produce their atlases. These resources support the systematic development of national atlases tailored to each country’s specific needs, helping decision-makers and private sector with long-term energy planning and investment.

To present the procedure at a technical level and showcase the results, two technical webinars have been organized: one for Asia and Africa, and the other for Central and South America, to accommodate participation from different time zones. These webinars also set the stage for the next phase of the project, which aims to expand the initiative to more countries in 2025, with the ambitious goal of covering all WMO members by 2030, in collaboration with external partners, such as International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and World Bank Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (WB ESMAP) .

Agenda: