To advance the development of national renewable energy atlases, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) successfully organized two technical webinars in December 2024. These webinars aimed to present a structured methodology for National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) to develop wind, solar, and hydropower atlases, as part of WMO’s initiative to support global renewable energy transitions.
The webinars, held on December 11 and December 13 2024, provided in-depth technical guidance and showcased the results of the first phase of the initiative. This phase, which began in January 2024, focused on supporting four WMO Members—Chile and Iran (solar atlas), Malawi (hydropower atlas), and Costa Rica (wind atlas)—in collaboration with relevant national entities such as energy ministries. As a key outcome, WMO developed a technical document and open-source codes offering a clear, step-by-step process for NMHSs to generate their national energy atlases.
A total of 25 NMHSs participated across the two webinars, receiving four hours of specialized training. The session for Asia and Africa, held on December 11, saw participation from 17 NMHSs (9 from Africa and 8 from Asia), with 58 attendees. The Central and South America session on December 13 engaged 8 NMHSs, with 51 participants joining the webinar.
These webinars mark a significant step toward expanding the initiative to more countries in 2025, with the ultimate goal of covering all WMO Members by 2030. Future phases will be carried out in collaboration with external partners, including the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the World Bank.
