28 February 2012: The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has signed a partnership agreement with the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology that will see Masdar’s Research Centre for Renewable Energy Mapping and Assessment provide the solar energy data and framework for IRENA’s upcoming Global Solar and Wind Atlas.

IRENA and Masdar are set to work on further defining the Atlas, its technical compatibility, methodological harmonization and data transparency protocols. The Atlas aims to provide information necessary to boost development of solar and wind energy sources globally. During the second IRENA Assembly in January 2012, IRENA also signed a partnership agreement with the International Energy Agency (IEA) to strengthen cooperation between the two organizations, including through developing a joint approach on renewable energy statistics. Initiatives under the new agreement include the development of an IEA/IRENA Global Renewable Energy Policies and Measures Database, an open-access source that will be updated twice a year. [IRENA Press Release]