Geoscience Australia is to undertake a mapping project to understand the potential of Australia to generate solar power.

The project will chart the levels of solar radiation across Australia to establish which areas of the continent are most suited to the development of large-scale solar power stations over the long term.

In a release Geoscience Australia says: “The resulting world-class pre-competitive data will improve the accuracy for solar energy prediction and help investors to gain insights into the sun's potential, which will allow them to identify the best places to locate solar power plants.”

The Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism, Geoscience Australia’s parent department, has allocated up to $5m for the scheme.

The Solar Prospectivity Maps will feature both physical and socio-economic information that will include details on local infrastructure, land tenure, water sources and other vital information.

Geoscience Australia and the Bureau of Meteorology will co-present a paper at the Solar2010 conference in Canberra on 1 December outlining the solar resource mapping work and related weather modelling initiatives, alongside a release of some initial data.