NASA Maps Sunniest Places on Earth

Solar power entrepreneurs, more than sun bathers, should take note of a new NASA study of the sunniest places on earth.

An area of the Pacific Ocean south of Hawaii and part of the Sahara desert are the sunniest places on the planet, and potentially rich stores of renewable energy, according to a new analysis by NASA detailed by Reuters.

The new maps assess the solar energy available all over the planet. Already, entrepreneurs have used them to choose the best locations for new solar energy plants, and Europe has eyed the Sahara as the power plant of the future.

The project demonstrates how important NASA's earth observing capabilities are. The Bush Administration has cut several programs, though, and even tried to eliminate protecting the "home planet" from NASA's mission statement.

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