Solar power generation landscape analysis chart

What is the contribution of solar energy to global electricity production?

While the contribution of solar energy to global electricity production remains generally low at 3.6%, it has firmly established itself among other renewable energy technologies, comprising nearly 31% of the total installed renewable energy capacity in 2022 (IRENA, 2023).

Which geospatial data is best for field-scale solar PV and wind installations?

Two final datasets were produced that represent the best publicly available global, harmonized geospatial data for field-scale solar PV and wind installations (Fig. 5). We provide vector data (point and polygon) for grouped installations (more than two features; Methods), in Eckert IV equal area projection.

How robust is solar data compared to DBSCAN parameters?

The solar data appear to be robust against different values of DBSCAN parameters (Table 6). Location data for wind and solar installations worldwide can be used to support a range of applications, including analysing the land impact of current infrastructure, measuring progress towards global goals, and informing future energy planning scenarios.

How do I use the Global Solar Atlas?

Welcome to the Global Solar Atlas. Start exploring solar potential by clicking on the map. Select sites, draw rectangles or polygons by clicking the respective map controls. Calculate energy production for selected sites. The Global Solar Atlas provides a summary of solar power potential and solar resources globally.

Why are wind and solar PV capacity growing so fast?

IEA 2019. All rights reserved. Wind and solar PV capacity have expanded very rapidly in many countries as a result of supportive policies and dramatic drops in technology costs.

Is there a relationship between solar capacity and wind feature observations?

While reported onshore wind capacity alone explains the number of wind feature observations relatively well (R2 = 0.90), the relationship between solar capacity and number of observations is a lot weaker (R2 = 0.13).