Maps
NREL's GIS team develops maps for various renewable resources and for specific projects using an ESRI product called ArcIMS. All maps, except for the Renewable Energy Atlas of the West, are stored on a map server. Once you choose the map you would like to see, you will be connected to our map server and be able to view maps in a live-interactive session. Using this map server you have the opportunity to click map themes on and off, query, zoom in and out, and pan.
For further help, you can access a video tutorial that will show you how the dynamic map sites work. The tutorial features the "United States Atlas of Renewable Resources" but the concepts and tools work for most of the other dynamic map sites. Text Version.
Available maps are listed below. If you have difficulty accessing these maps because of a disability, please contact the Webmaster.
Solar Maps 
Maps of solar radiation resources are available for several photovoltaic collector orientations in the United States. Some of the maps available are: PV Solar Radiation Maps, Direct Normal Solar Radiation Maps, Map of U.S. Solar Measurement Station Locations, and the United States Solar Atlas.
Wind Maps
Maps showing wind resource potential based on wind power density. These maps estimate wind energy resources for the United States and its territories, and indicate general areas where a high wind resource may exist.
Biomass Maps
Maps showing the biomass resources available in the United States by county. Feedstock categories include crop residues; forest residues; primary and secondary mill residues; urban wood waste; and methane emissions from manure management, landfills, and domestic wastewater treatment.
Hydrogen Maps
Geographic Information Systems modeling is used to analyze and visualize the spatial relationship between resources (renewable and non renewable), hydrogen production facilities, transportation infrastructure, and hydrogen demand centers. It is a powerful tool for manipulating large and complex datasets, siting hydrogen production facilities and refueling stations, and analyzing variety of resources for hydrogen production in the United States.
Federal Energy Management Program Maps
The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) teams with Resource Assessment staff at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to create federal energy management program maps showing the market potential for various solar technologies at federal facilities throughout the country.
International Maps
Geospatial Toolkits
NREL developed the Geospatial Toolkit (GsT) — a map-based software application that integrates resource data and geographic information systems (GIS) — for integrated resource assessment. A variety of agencies within countries and global datasets provided country-specific data. For some countries, NREL has developed a HOMER GsT version of the toolkit, which contains all of the features of the standard GsT and also integrates HOMER, an optimization model for distributed
Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment
In cooperation with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), NREL has produced high-resolution maps and data sets of solar and wind energy resources for the Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA). The resource data are integrated into a geographic information systems (GIS) framework that allows the resource data to be combined with key geographic and demographic data.
United States Atlas of Renewable Resources
The Atlas is an interactive application of the renewable energy resources in the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii. It illustrates the geographic distribution of wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass resources, as well as other pertinent information such as transportation network and administrative boundaries. The Atlas is for anyone interested in renewable energy in the country, including researchers, developers, and policy makers. If you have difficulty accessing these maps because of a disability, please contact the Webmaster.
Renewable Energy Atlas of the West
The Renewable Energy Atlas of the western United States is an 80-page, full-color presentation of the renewable energy resources in the West, including newly-released high-resolution wind maps of the Pacific Northwest. The Atlas profiles wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass power. The Atlas is for anyone interested in renewable energy in the West, including advocates, developers, landowners, and policy makers. Sponsored by the Hewlett Foundation and the Energy Foundation, the Atlas was created by the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies, Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (SEED), Green Info Network, and Integral GIS.
