Solar Power Suitability

Regions suitable for solar power were derived by compiling several layers of data. Solar power suitability is determined by the amount of radiation from the atmosphere, number of cloudless days, elevation, and population density. To begin, the amount of solar radiation across the world was determined and displayed in a map titled Top of Atmosphere Radiation (TOA). Next the mean and median cloudless days were determined for the world using data from NOAA. A map of global topography displays the varying elevations across the continents and finally population density was calculated with data from SEDAC and displayed on a map titled Population Density. The final product, a map of regions suitable for solar power, is shown below. Two sets of criteria were used to determine suitability. The criteria varied by slope of terrain, the first (on the left) was a slope of 25%, and the second (on the right) was a slope of 10%.