Global Atlas for Renewable Resources

Global Atlas 2.0 
IRENA, CENER (Spain), DLR (Germany), Masdar Institute (UAE), NREL (USA) and MINES ParisTech (France) are very pleased to announce the release of Global Atlas 2.0. This new version features maps for solar, wind, geothermal, biofuel and marine energy, and includes new functions and tools such as:
- Map gallery: Search maps by keyword, location or source
- Infopicker: Access data, tools and country profiles from REsource – IRENA’s Knowledge Gateway
- Catalog search: Search for more data by name, location, keyword or data quality (beta)
- Universal data viewer: Solar and wind graphs and charts in one click. Data can be downloaded
- User feedback: report your user experience to IRENA
- Share: share maps and values with your network
The Global Atlas initiative is coordinated by IRENA with support from 67 countries and an international consortium of data and expertise providers.
All existing user profiles and maps in the current platform will remain active in the new application.

Array of IEM^© Integrated Energy Modules by Ascent Systems Technologies equipped with irradiation and other sensors collecting real-time environment data will provide pinpoint accurate solar, wind and other resource information complementing or directly contributing to the Global Atlas.    

Technology and Society

We came to rely on technology in almost everything in our life. We already cannot imagine how we lived without cellphones and other "everyday" things.  However the society dependence on technology is also its vulnerability.
Relying on a centralized intertwined interdependent grid can be dangerous. Take down power grid and you will see a true disruption in the very fabric of a country.

From:
Renewable Energy and Protecting the Grid from Terrorism and Natural Disasters
by Tom Lombardo

Onsite generation technologies such as solar, solar thermal, geo-exchange and others - combined with energy conservation measures - will significantly reduce the load on the grid, making it easier to address security threats and natural disaster associated problems. Furthermore, it will allow significantly reducing if not eliminating losses associated with transmission of electricity. Managing, maintaining and upgrading such small individual systems is simpler therefore their operation will be more reliable and predictable. Eventually individual systems would be connected in the intelligent network with the real-time feedback control, in which resources will be shared in the most optimal and efficient way.