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 technical biomass resources available in the United States by county. These maps estimate the biomass available from various feedstock categories: crop residues, methane emissions from manure management, methane emissions from landfills and wastewater treatment facilities, forest residues, primary and secondary mill residues, urban wood waste, and dedicated energy crops.

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.

United States Atlas of Renewable Resources

(under development)

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.