Microsoft, Planet Labs, and the Nature Conservancy have announced plans to launch the Global Renewables Watch (GRW), a living atlas intended to map and measure utility-scale solar and wind installations on Earth using artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite imagery.

The initial mapping of solar and wind energy installations in Germany and India, as well as solar installations in Brazil and Egypt are already completed. The first full global inventory is expected to be completed by early 2023, at which point the results will undergo both scientific and technical validation. 

The GRW will enable users to evaluate clean energy transition progress and track trends over time, the organizations said in a statement.

For this joint program, Microsoft is providing the AI and platform technology, Planet Labs is contributing the underlying satellite imagery, and the Nature Conservancy is overlaying the subject-matter expertise to analyze the output.

[Image courtesy: The Nature Conservancy]