The World Bank has unveiled a Renewable Energy Mapping Program that seeks to provide transparent, country-by-country data on renewable energy potential. The program will provide funding – $11.6 million in its first four years – for high-resolution mapping, ground-based data collection, geospatial analysts and strategic environmental assessments to ease energy planning and policy-making. First-phase participating countries include former Opec member Indonesia and gas-rich Papua New Guinea. [The World Bank]

Japanese electronics manufacturer Kyocera has agreed to an $89 million deal to supply, engineer, build and maintain 30 megawatts of solar power generation to agricultural facilities across Japan under the country’s feed-in-tariff program. The program, which took effect a year ago, seeks to encourage diversification in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster and subsequent shut-down of most of Japan’s nuclear generation capacity. [VentureBeat]

And in congressional budgetary news: House Republicans have proposed cutting up to $873 million more from renewable energy programs, on top of cuts from the March sequester. [Politico]