The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has released comprehensive technical guidelines to support countries developing high-resolution National Renewable Energy Atlases (NRAs) for wind, solar and hydropower.
The user manual provides step-by-step guidance for National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), to create national renewable energy atlases, together with ministries of energy, and other stakeholders, using a combination of historical data, observational records, and climate projections. The publication was developed in response to needs identified through the WMO global energy survey conducted in 2022–2023.
The initiative aims to strengthen countries’ capacity to assess renewable energy potential, improve long-term energy planning, and support progress toward net-zero emissions and Sustainable Development Goal 7.
Supporting better renewable energy planning
The publication introduces the technical framework developed by WMO for producing national renewable energy atlases with high spatial resolution, enabling more accurate assessment of renewable energy resources at local and regional scales. It also provides practical guidance on:
- Data acquisition and preprocessing
- Statistical downscaling methods
- Integration of local observational data
- Use of climate projections (CMIP6)
- Interpretation of atlas outputs for policy and planning
By combining past, present, and future climate information, the manual helps countries make informed decisions on renewable energy investments and infrastructure development.
A global initiative with local impact
The National Renewable Energy Atlas initiative was launched to address critical gaps in climate information for renewable energy identified across WMO Members. Many countries currently lack national atlases or do not consider climate projection data.
To address this challenge, WMO is working collaboratively with national institutions to co-develop scalable and open-access tools for atlas production. Pilot implementation includes Chile, Costa Rica, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Malawi.
The initiative aims to equip all WMO Members with high-resolution national renewable energy atlases by 2030.
Open access and capacity building
The methodology and tools for producing high-resolution renewable energy atlases are being made freely available through the WMO Energy and Meteorology Portal. Training materials and capacity-building activities are also provided to support national implementation.
The next phase of the RE Atlases initiative will include countries in Latin America under the support of ENANDES project (funded by Adaptation Plan)
