1 Aug 2017

Pacific's best solar power sites highlighted in new atlas

7:10 am on 1 August 2017

A new tool to highlight the best sites for solar power generation has been unveiled at this week's conference of the Pacific Power Association in Samoa.

The Global Solar Atlas, which is funded by the World Bank, allows governments, businesses and individuals to identify, at the click of a button, the best potential sites for solar powered renewable energy.

Solar energy

Solar energy Photo: RNZ

The maps enable a comparison of resource potential between sites in one region or across multiple countries.

The Bank's energy specialist, Isabel Neto, said it was a combination of satellite imagery and meteorological information.

"And so these maps actually help to determine, with a resolution of around one kilometre, what will be the solar output you can expect from facilities to be installed in that particular location."