Cities and countries around the world are recognizing the need for reduced dependency on traditional sources of energy and are turning to renewable energy technologies for power. US and international political, scientific and applied research priorities are aiming at strategies for mitigation and adaptation to potential global change. The challenge for NASA then becomes how can we apply NASA scientific expertise, models, and satellite-derived and in-situ measurements to develop applied science data sets for industry, academia, and policy makers in the arena of energy and climate change?

The answer for me came in the form of the POWER (Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resource) project. The overall goal of the POWER project was to integrate NASA’s satellite based analysis and modeling abilities into private and public energy management tools. The project focuses on three basic areas where NASA can help; surface solar energy (SSE), sustainable buildings and agroclimatology. Projects like Canada’s RETScreen rely on data from the POWER project to help commercial and government groups evaluate existing or expected energy use, assess potential savings opportunities and then prepare a financial analysis for facilities. The financial analysis tells decision makers how much energy is produced by a renewable energy technology (wind turbine, a solar panel, a more efficient gas burner or a small capacity hydro plant), and it can also provide information on what those systems will cost and estimate the return on investment for financing. Both Canada and Ireland have used RETScreen to determine the value of investing in renewable energy technologies, such as solar and wind energy. HOMER, another POWER based project can help governments and organizations determine the most cost effective way to supply energy to their populations.

Now the POWER website has had nearly ten million hits and almost two million data requests since its inception. This is just one example of how NASA data can help inform the public and policy makers on climate change.

For more information on the POWER program: http://power.larc.nasa.gov/