mexico renews itself - ProMéxico

34 Negocios ProMéxico Negocios ProMéxico 35
Soaking Up
the Advantages
of a Sunny Country
One more point must be added in Mexico’s favor: the intense and continuous solar radiation
that the territory receives all year long. The sun is what will drive the new electrical energy
generation strategies toward a future with lower fossil fuel consumption.
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by omar magaña
photos courtesy of energías renovables de méxico
Although solar energy
projects are still considered
expensive, especially
photovoltaic, ERDM
has demonstrated their
feasibility in communities
where it is technically
difficult –if not impossible–
to bring in the CFE network.
A
YouTube video posted by solar panel manufacturer
Energías Renovables de México (ERDM) presents a
peerless narrative of its pioneering work in promoting
photovoltaic energy in Mexico.
The camera documents the process of delivering dozens of
photovoltaic modules that were assembled by ERDM in its plant in
San Andrés Tuxtla, Veracruz, to the fishing community of Martín
Prieto, in the Veracruz municipality of Alvarado.
Delivering island system panels, which have their own energy
converter and battery that provide users with direct electricity
without needing a connection to the Federal Electricity Commission
(CFE) network, seems difficult: fishermen and technicians
transport modules and solar refrigerators on fishing boats that
navigate the waters of the Papaloapan River to complete the delivery
and begin the installation of the technology that will radically
change the lives of Martín Prieto’s inhabitants: the residents will
have electricity in their homes.
“ERDM grew out of the necessity of certain areas of the country
where it is difficult to access electric power. The company has specialized
in island systems that use battery backup for communities
that do not have access to the national electricity network,” says
Vladimir Ruiz, an engineer who is the company’s Project Manager.
Although solar energy projects are still considered expensive,
especially photovoltaic, ERDM has demonstrated their feasibility
in communities where it is technically difficult –if not impossible–
to bring in the CFE network.
The investment in photovoltaic modules in Martín Prieto came
to 2 million pesos (around 150,000 usd), compared to the over 30
million pesos (close to 2.25 million usd) it would have cost to make
the CFE connection, according to calculations by Vladimir Ruiz.
A Sun-Soaked Country
The tourists that arrive in Mexico from around the world are not
mistaken: the country is enviably sunny almost all year-round.
According to figures furnished by the Special Program for
the Exploitation of Renewable Energies published by the Ministry
of Energy (SENER), Mexico has an average annual radiation
of 5 kilowatts/hour (kWh) per square meter –with an index
of 4.4 kWh per square meter in the center of the country and 6.3
in the north.
Sonora, Chihuahua and the Baja California peninsula hold the
highest potential for generating electricity by taking advantage
of solar radiation, due to their vast size and weather conditions
throughout the year.
The SENER document recognizes that taking advantage of
such a renewable, clean and endless energy –the sun will be
around for several million years yet– has barely been explored; it
estimates Mexico’s installed capacity at 18.5 MW, which produces
8,794 megawatts/hour (MWh) per year.
“Globally, the generation capacity of photovoltaic cells is
around 6,000 MW, installed mainly in Germany, Japan and the
US,” reveals the report, based on data from the International Energy
Agency (IEA).
Indeed, the greatest use of photovoltaic technologies in Mexico
has been in rural communities like Martín Prieto, in Veracruz. According
to ERDM estimates, there are approximately 7 million people
who live in areas without access to the CFE network, says Ruiz.
Photovoltaic Energy Takes Center Stage
ERDM is trying to gain influence on another important front: the
consolidation of photovoltaic projects with a CFE interconnection.
The company, which was founded almost 10 years ago by two
German partners, discovered new development possibilities in
Mexico after the Law for the Exploitation of Renewable Energies
and Financing of the Energy Transition (LAERFTE) was signed
toward the end of the last decade.
Since then, ERDM has sold photovoltaic technology –modules
that are assembled in Mexico from components manufactured in
Germany, Austria, the US and Canada– to the National Forestry
Commission (CONAFOR), the Grupo México mining corporation,
the National Workers’ Housing Fund Institute (INFONAVIT), the
Lázaro Cardenas port terminal, the San Isidro mill, hotels, schools
and social assistance housing builders.
“This is only a small step. We believe that much more is needed
to really boost the photovoltaic industry,” says Ruiz, who considers
that with the announcement of LAERFTE, agreements and adjustments
will be generated in Mexico to advance toward that goal.
An important step would be for industry and citizens to decide
to implement this technology in factories, offices and homes.
According to Ruiz, in order for this to happen, the price of the
technology must decrease, as well as the generating cost for each
kWh and its sale price.
For the Mexican market, Ruiz says it is important to know how
long it will take to recoup the initial investment that, when dealing
with large-scale projects, is obviously a considerable figure for a
company’s finance department.
ERDM’s strategy is to highlight the contributions of private
individuals to the environment by reducing contaminants derived
from fossil fuels, and emphasizing the future savings in the
monthly electricity bill.
Those at ERDM are definitely aware that, in the short term, there
will be a boom in photovoltaic energy in Mexico, and the company is
betting on being part of that scenario.
“Our philosophy is to offer highly competitive prices with high
quality products, given our need to guarantee that they will produce
energy for more than 20 or 25 years,” says Ruiz. “We consider
ourselves to be well placed in the market, we have a family of
more than 200 business partners and we are in partnership with
a very large German company that also manufactures panels
there –Biosun– to be able to make large-scale plants,” he adds. n
erdm-solar.com