Ecopetrol's attack on solar energy | L & # 39; innovation

Ecopetrol has taken a new step in increasing its renewable energy portfolio. This is the awarding of the contract for the construction of its first megapark solar in the municipality of Castilla La Nueva, in the department of Meta.
The new solar complex will have an installed capacity of 20.4 megawatts and will provide some of the energy needed for the Castilla deposit, the second largest in the country.
The execution of the project will be carried out on an approximate area of ​​18 hectares, where approximately 60,000 solar panels will be installed. The installed capacity of more than 20.4 MW equals the consumption of 16,000 households. It is estimated that the solar power plant will start operating in the second half of 2019.

This plant will prevent more than 81,000 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere for the duration of the contract, 60% more than expected during the project planning phase.
The solar park will also reduce electricity costs badociated with operating the Castille field operated directly by Ecopetrol, one of the country's largest.
"This milestone marks a milestone in Ecopetrol's incursion into solar energy projects and fits the company's goal of having a more diverse energy matrix." and cleaner, "said Felipe Bayón, president of Ecopetrol.
The company responsible for building the mega-park will be AES CHIVOR, a subsidiary of AES GENER, which has extensive experience in the development of alternative energy projects in Chile, Colombia and Argentina.

At present, the Ecopetrol Group has an installed capacity of 43 MW of renewable energy in the Meta. This is the production of energy by biombad in the Bionergy plant, for which 20,000 hectares of sugar cane are grown. Some of this energy is used in the largest ethanol plant in the country and the rest, about 20 MW, is routed to the interconnected national system.
As for the future, Ecopetrol has a renewable energy portfolio of 181 MW for the coming years, including the Castilla project, as well as other initiatives for the future. 39 solar and hydraulic energy in production fields and transport stations.
This initiative is part of the oil company's commitment to the environment, which highlights other actions such as improving the quality of the air breathed by the Colombians.

In this sense, the Company has begun the production and distribution in Colombia of clean diesel, complying with high international standards, whose sulfur content is reduced by 50% to 80% compared to national regulations.

In addition, the oil company iguana has a wide range of natural gas vehicles and biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel to meet the needs of Colombia to give a new air to its people.

Thanks to projects launched between 2010 and 2017, the company, of which more than 250,000 Colombians are shareholders, has reduced by 3.7 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent its reduction target of 3.5 times by 2025 emissions of the last 8 years, according to its president Felipe Bayón. And this will be possible through increased gas use, increased energy efficiency and increased use of renewable energy.