3TIER Environmental Forecast Group Provides Wind Maps for Afghanistan and Pakistan

3TIER is producing the wind maps through a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which has collaborated with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and local officials, to bring the benefits of sustainable energy to developing countries through increased investment in renewable energy projects.

"3TIER's work on wind maps for Afghanistan and Pakistan is a good example of NREL's efforts to develop high resolution solar and wind resource data for a variety of developing countries," said Dennis Elliott, principal scientist and technical leader for wind resource assessment at NREL's National Wind Technology Center in Golden, Colorado. "Through these and other activities, NREL is developing increasingly sophisticated project evaluation tools to help translate promising resource data into installed systems."

"We are pleased and proud to be able to contribute our knowledge and talent to such a forward thinking economic development program," said Kenneth Westrick, CEO of 3TIER. "Producing renewable energy tools to help expand rural energy access is a great way to use our scientific-based modeling and mapping technologies to create potential social benefits and economic gain for people in remote regions of the world."

The mapping contract awarded to 3TIER by NREL is part of the South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy Cooperation and Development (SARI/Energy) program, which was launched in 2000 to build mutually beneficial energy linkages among the countries of South Asia. Since then, SARI/Energy has reached out to more than 3,500 organizations in the region on clean energy trade, energy efficiency, rural energy supply, energy regulatory issues, energy statistics, and private sector involvement.

About SARI/Energy
A network of energy sector professionals in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives created by SARI/Energy has led to widespread sharing of best practices, models of institutional reform and restructuring, and documented performance improvement. These professionals are helping to put in place the building blocks for more robust regional trade and sustainable economic development. SARI/Energy-sponsored training, capacity building, and networking have contributed to the writing of energy sector restructuring laws throughout the region. The program supports institutional and organizational changes that make the sector more market driven and better equipped to address the needs of under-served rural consumers. In addition, the program has identified significant opportunities for catalyzing private sector investments in regional energy infrastructure. For more information, visit www.sari-energy.org.

About NREL
NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by Midwest Research Institute and Battelle. For more information, visit www.nrel.gov.

About 3TIER
3TIER provides project-scale, scientifically-based renewable energy forecast and assessment products and services to companies worldwide, and is currently the largest provider of these services in North America. Whether predicting the availability of renewable resources from one hour to 30 years in advance, 3TIER provides the most reliable and accurate data available for single or integrated resource projects - enabling companies to maximize operational efficiency and make effective and informed operational decisions. Founded in 1999 with offices in North and South America, Seattle-based 3TIER exclusively employs scientific and engineering experts who develop and manage sophisticated environmental prediction systems using advanced computing technologies and proprietary methodologies such as 3TIER cutting edge R3(TM) process. For more information, visit the 3TIER Web site at www.3tiergroup.com.