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About RE Explorer

RE Explorer provides renewable energy data, analytical tools, and technical assistance to developers, policymakers, and decision makers in developing countries. RE Explorer enables users to make meaningful decisions that support low-emission development and ultimately reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The RE Explorer team can support geospatial analysis for low-emission development through its Ask an Expert service.

About RE Data Explorer

The RE Data Explorer is a user-friendly geospatial analysis tool for analyzing renewable energy potential and informing decisions. Developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), RE Data Explorer performs visualization and analysis of renewable energy potential that can be customized for different scenarios. RE Data Explorer can support prospecting, integrated planning, policymaking, and other decision-making activities to accelerate renewable energy deployment. Here are some of the many unique qualities that set RE Data Explorer apart as an unparalleled tool to support renewable energy development:

  • Provides best-in-class data from around the world, including time series data for certain countries, extensive administrative layers, and data sets from key partners such as Danish Technical University (DTU), Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), World Bank, and the World Resources Institute (WRI).
  • Offers intuitive and user-driven analysis capabilities to inform renewable energy development and deployment decisions including: exclusion analysis, technical potential analysis, and economic potential analysis for certain countries.
  • Contains a breadth of renewable energy resources and technologies available for analysis including solar and wind and, for certain countries, geothermal, biomass and ocean wave.
  • Creates links between data, analysis and decisions through curated knowledge products, training resources, and an “Ask an Expert” service to provide customized support for using the tool.
  • Offers the flexibility of adding functionalities and analysis capabilities to respond to the changing needs of countries.
  • Provides the opportunity to work with the RE Explorer team to add localized data through collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Enhanced RE Data Explorer Offers High-Fidelity Solar Resource Data Set for Southeast Asia

As part of the continuous improvement of the RE Data Explorer, USAID and NREL released an enhanced version of the tool that includes a re-designed user interface, the addition of high spatial and temporal resolution solar resource data for Southeast Asia, and wind, solar, and complementary data for the entire globe.


Integrated Analysis Tools

The RE Data Explorer platform features the following analysis tools:

RE Data Explorer: Technologies and Analysis Features by Country/Region

More Information:
RE Mapping and Analysis at NREL

NREL's geospatial data science team—which includes data scientists, analysts, systems engineers, cartographers, and web developers—uses geographic information systems to produce maps, analyses, models, interactive web applications, and visualizations that inform energy planning and decision-making around the world.

For example, the team has developed a robust framework, called OpenCarto, for building interactive geospatial web applications that now supports more than 20 tools. And, the team builds resource maps in support of renewable energy development and generation projects.

Technologies

 BiomassGeothermalHydroSolarWaveWind
Afghanistancheckmarkcheckmark checkmark checkmark
Bangladesh   checkmark checkmark
Central Asia   checkmark checkmark
Colombia   checkmark checkmark
Ghana   checkmark checkmark
Haiti   checkmark checkmark
India   checkmark checkmark
Kenyacheckmarkcheckmark checkmark checkmark
Mexicocheckmarkcheckmarkcheckmarkcheckmarkcheckmarkcheckmark
Morocco   checkmark checkmark
Nepal   checkmark checkmark
Pakistan checkmark checkmark checkmark
Peru   checkmark checkmark
Southeast Asia*checkmark  checkmark checkmark

Analysis and Downloads

 Technical PotentialCost of EnergySite SelectionSolar Time SeriesWind Time Series
Afghanistancheckmark  checkmark 
Bangladeshcheckmark  checkmark 
Central Asiacheckmark   checkmark
Colombiacheckmark    
Ghanacheckmark    
Haiticheckmark    
Indiacheckmark checkmarkcheckmarkcheckmark
Kenyacheckmark    
Mexicocheckmark  checkmark 
Moroccocheckmark    
Nepalcheckmark  checkmark 
Pakistan     
Perucheckmark  checkmark 
Southeast Asia*checkmarkcheckmark  checkmark

*Biomass resource data are only available for the Philippines and Vietnam. Wind time series is only available for the Philippines.


RE Explorer and the RE Data Explorer were developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and are supported by USAID and Department of State. The following partners provide data to support diverse applications of RE Data Explorer: the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), Carbon Monitoring for Action (CARMA), Danish Technical University (DTU), De Conto Piscinas, Entec ESCO Vietnam, Environment Operations Center (Greater Mekong Subregion), Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), European Space Agency (ESA), Global Administrative Areas Database, International Food Policy Research Institute, Japan External Trade Organization, Open Development Cambodia, OpenStreetMap, Protected Planet, Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (sedac), The World Bank, and the World Resources Institute (WRI).

The USAID-NREL Partnership Newsletter is a quarterly electronic newsletter that provides information about RE Explorer, RE Data Explorer and additional tools and resources.