Microsoft Corp., Planet Labs PBC and Nature conservation launch it Global watch on renewable energies (GRW), a living atlas intended to map and measure all large-scale solar and wind installations on Earth using artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite imagery, allowing users to assess the progress of the clean energy transition and track trends over time.
With initial mapping of solar and wind energy installations in Germany and India, as well as solar installations in Brazil and Egypt, the GRW is being built to serve as a publicly available renewable energy atlas with information country by country on production progress and development trends.
With access to satellite data dating back to 2018 and plans to update the atlas twice a year, the GRW aims to show countries’ renewable energy capacity, help understand that capacity and recognize patterns regarding the potential impact of the location of renewables on the landscape over time rather than as a point in time.
The first comprehensive global inventory is expected to be completed in early 2023, when the results will be scientifically and technically validated. For this joint program, Microsoft is providing the AI and platform technology, Planet is contributing the underlying satellite imagery, and The Nature Conservancy is layering subject matter expertise to analyze the outcome.
“This year, the theme for Climate Week NYC is ‘Do It,’ and to do that, we need to move from promise to progress,” said Jennifer Morris, CEO of The Nature Conservancy. “Global Renewables Watch, which is the result of a collaboration between Microsoft, The Nature Conservancy and Planet, is exactly the kind of action we need. It will be a publicly available resource to help researchers and policymakers understand current capabilities and gaps so that policymakers can scale much-needed renewable energy resources in a responsible and nature-friendly way.
Current methods of tracking solar and wind power projects globally are an extremely complex undertaking, spanning countless jurisdictions and with much of the data held by private organizations. The GRW aims to provide this data by coupling AI to high-resolution satellite images and presenting them in a dynamically updated time series.
“Each of the partners brings unique knowledge and added value to this initiative,” said Will Marshall, co-founder and CEO of Planet. “You can’t manage what you can’t measure, so by combining Microsoft’s artificial intelligence and cloud computing capabilities, Planet’s comprehensive, high-resolution satellite imagery, and The Nature Conservancy, we hope to build a powerful platform to uncover – and democratize access to – renewable energy data.
The partners will continue to map other countries and aim to introduce the tool to those charged with managing the global energy transition in the weeks leading up to and during the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP27, to be held in Sharm El – Sheikh, Egypt, 6-18 November 2022.
“The world needs access to data in order to make responsible environmental decisions, and the Global Renewables Watch will serve as an essential tool for understanding humanity’s progress towards meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. and the achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all,” mentions Juan Lavista Ferres, Vice President and Chief Data Scientist from Microsoft.