Energy Resource and Infrastructure Assessments

NLR provides high-resolution techno-economic, resource, and infrastructure assessments that inform countries’ energy planning, investment, and policy decisions.

Biomass Resource Assessments

Biomass resource assessments quantify the existing or potential biomass material in a given area. We evaluate biomass resources statistically and spatially using geographic information systems and other techniques. This analysis examines the amount of resources available or potentially available in a region, as well as their geographic distribution. See available country assessments.

Geothermal Resource Assessments

Geothermal resource assessments identify and characterize subsurface resources to reduce exploration risk and support project development. We use play fairway analysis, a method adapted from oil and gas exploration, to integrate geologic, geophysical, geochemical, and environmental data into probability maps and 3D models that highlight areas with the highest resource potential. Our open-source tools, including geoPFA and GEOPHIRES-X support reproducible resource analysis and techno-economic evaluation of geothermal plant designs. This work connects with our geographic information systems and power system modeling to identify infrastructure needs, and we have adapted these methods to emerging resource types such as superhot geothermal.

Solar and Wind Energy Assessments

The National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) is an international collection of solar radiation and meteorological data capable of providing users with a snapshot of the amount of solar energy available at a specified time in a specified location. The database provides hourly and half-hourly values of global horizontal, direct normal, and diffuse horizontal irradiance—the three most common measurements of solar radiation. The data cover enough locations and spatial and temporal scales to accurately represent regional solar radiation climates worldwide. Used in models such as System Advisor Model (SAM), PVWatts, and Solar Integration National Dataset (SIND) Toolkit, NSRDB data enables solar system designers, planners, and engineers to predict the potential solar energy available in a specified location based on past solar radiation and meteorological conditions.

In cooperation with the United Nations Environment Program, we have produced high-resolution maps and data sets of solar and wind energy resources for more than a dozen countries through the Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment initiative. The resource data are integrated into a GIS framework that allows the resource data to be combined with key geographic and demographic data.

Global Energy Assessments

We collaborate with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis on the Global Energy Assessment and with the International Energy Agency on energy scenarios for the World Energy Outlook.

Vehicle Fleet Assessment

We have worked with Mexico, Jamaica, and several other countries to install data loggers to evaluate energy performance of vehicle fleets and identify opportunities to optimize mobility and energy use and reduce operating costs.