Saudi Arabia is launching an online atlas of renewable resources as part of a wider project to identify the potential renewable energy sources and where best to deploy technology to tap into those resources.

The atlas data will be available in late 2013, published online through the Renewable Resource Monitoring and Mapping program. The King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE), which is managing the project, is in the process of establishing more than 70 meteorological stations and centers nationwide to collect data on renewable energy potential, according to an official press release.

Saudi King Abdullah set up KACARE in 2010 to develop alternative energy sources so the country will not need to burn millions of barrels of oil a year on power generation. The atlas is part of the government's plans to develop renewable energy programs that will produce 54,000 megawatts of electricity by 2032, and to save their oil for export. The installation of the meteorological stations provides essential data, for example, about the intensity of sun and wind, as well as dust levels and waste-to-energy data for decision makers.

The Atlas will be a guiding database for the country's renewable energy sources, to help both government and investors in making decisions such as choosing between different locations to install a project depending on the collected data.