Map depicts photovoltaic electricity output for East Asia and Pacific regions. Image credit: World Bank GroupA new tool facilitated by the World Bank will enable Pacific Island countries to map and identify suitable areas for solar power generation at the click of a button. Detailed solar maps are publicly accessible via the web-based Global Solar Atlas tool facilitated by the World Bank.

First launched in January 2017, the Global Solar Atlas displays the annual average for solar power potential, and can zoom into areas with a spatial resolution of 1 km, or 0.6 of a mile. The tool also provides access to high resolution global and regional maps, as well as geographic information system data, enabling users to print poster maps and apply the data in other applications.

These maps are based on satellite atmospheric and meteorological data and should provide investors and solar energy developers with an easily accessible platform for comparison of resource potential between sites in one region or across multiple nations.

The Global Solar Atlas was funded by the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program, a multi-donor trust fund administered by the World Bank, and was commissioned in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation. It was developed by Solargis, a commercial provider of solar resource data.