Data pertaining to how economies function and the drivers of production and consumption patterns.

economy-industry

Economy & Industry

Data about the energy systems that underpin all economies.

power-sector

Power Sector

### Overview  
  
This is the first global inventory of commercial, industrial and utility scale solar energy stations. It has located nearly 70,000 facilities around the world, and has enriched this data with facility installation dates, previous land use, and proximity to conservation and indigenous protected areas. This dataset covers solar energy stations between June 2016 to October 2018.  
  

The solar installation location data is critical for improving the accuracy of current inventories and future forecasting, helping countries to align their energy systems to their net zero targets. When combined with weather data, the generating behaviour of precisely-located solar generating facilities becomes more predictable, allowing a larger share of total power generation to come from solar energy.The data will also help to ascertain the impact of solar installations on the natural and human-made world.  
  

The planet-scale study carried out by the team reveals some differences between top-down estimates of solar photovoltaic energy generating capacity reported by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the new bottom-up asset-level inventory. More generating capacity has been found in the United States (7,639 facilities, 54.1 GW), for example, than reported in top-down inventories (40.2GW), however the inventory for China (18,449 facilities,167.4 GW) almost precisely matches top-down estimates (173.5 GW).  
  

This dataset was developed by the University of Oxford, Descartes Lab, and the World Resources Institute (WRI).
  
  
### Additional Information  
  
Resource Watch also shows [global power plants](https://resourcewatch.org/data/explore/Powerwatch) from this research team. For access to the full dataset and additional information, click on the “Learn more” button.  
  
### Disclaimer  
  
Excerpts of this description page were taken from the source metadata.

Global Inventory of Utility-Scale Solar Energy Installations

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June 2016 - October 2018 Solar Energy Stations

Global inventory of commercial, industrial and utility scale solar energy stations

No Team

Global Inventory of Solar Energy Installations

June 2016 - October 2018 Solar Energy Stations