With the power of the sun, Mexico advances in the production of clean energy

With its endless dunes and cactus, the silent desert of the state of Coahuila to the north Mexico seems to be the same as any other except that it houses the largest solar energy park in Latin America

The Italian company Enel chose the place to install 2.3 million panels Solar projects that should generate enough energy for 1.3 million homes in Mexico from the second half of the year.

In this silent zone, blue solar panels – which cover an area equivalent to 2,200 football fields – they move slowly following the sun as if they were sunflowers. In the distance, they look like an ocean in the middle of the desert

But they are a sample of the objective that owns Mexico, so that 35% of the electricity is produced by clean energies such as the sun or the wind from here 2024.

This goal is possible thanks to the energy reform of 2013, which ended 76 years of state monopoly in the sector. It has also opened the private sector to the production and supply of electricity and ended the monopoly of the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).

This part of the reform sometimes goes unnoticed by Mexicans, although it has sparked enthusiasm The companies

"We are very satisfied with the environment and opportunities in Mexico" says Antonio Cammisecra, director of Enel's global renewable energy division.

"After the reform, we see better conditions Although the elected president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has criticized the energy opening of the campaign, analysts doubt that it interrupts the arrival of investments.

– Cost reduction –

The goal of clean energy production is also achievable because the costs of solar technology have dropped significantly.

According to the Agency for renewable energy, an intergovernmental organization that promotes clean energy, the cost of manufacturing solar panels has dropped dramatically over the last decade "making them not only affordable but also the cheapest way to produce electricity. "

" The solar photovoltaic energy has had the most growth that has stimulated technological innovators, "says Artur o García, an expert of consulting firm Deloitte

The solar energy industry in Mexico also took note.

"Before the reform an environmental problem," says Víctor Ramírez, executive director of the National Association of Solar Energy, an organization that brings together several companies in the sector in Mexico

"Today Now, it 's not just an environmental issue, but an economic issue – it's getting cheaper to have energy from solar sources, investment will go out there. "

Therefore, the interest of a company like Enel: in addition to the solar park in the desert in which he invested 650 million dollars, has another in the Central State of Guanajuato, also builds a wind farm in Coahuila and another in Tamaulipas.

Only in May, the company is committed to investing an additional $ 97 million to expand its facilities. [19659005] Other companies are betting on solar energy, the Dutch company Alten builds a solar park in Aguascalientes, while the Spanish company Iberdrola builds similar facilities in Sonora and San Luis Potosí

Atlas Renewable Energy, backed by the British capital fund Actis, has recently acquired the Guajiro project in Hidalgo, which is expected to produce energy for about 120,000 homes a year.

"Mexico has a world-class solar resource, very good characteristics, especially in the north-central part of the territory," says Camilo Serrano, general manager of the company in the country.

– Electrical Auctions –

Promoting this type of energy, the reform has established electric auctions, a mechanism in which private companies buy and sell energy from clean sources , and that left an estimated investment of $ 8,600 million, according to official figures.

"adds Serrano, Atlas Energy

. The Mexican Minister of Energy, Pedro Joaquin, said in April that after these auctions will be built a total of 40 solar installations. 25 wind farms

He added that in 2015 there were nine solar parks and that by 2021, it should reach 68 facilities.

To date, three auctions have taken place, in which has seen a decrease in electricity production costs, making it a more viable investment.

The cost of power generation went from $ 50 per megawatt to $ 20 at the third auction.

These figures, the government ensures that Mexico is one of the 10 countries with the largest own investment in the world. He hopes to keep up the trend with the upcoming auction to be held in November this year.