Why this is important to Wisconsin businesses: Wisconsin companies could be the source of photovoltaic solar technology to help Mexico achieve its renewable energy goals.
Mexico could become the top producer for solar power in Latin America and one of the largest in the world, experts say.
As much as 85% of Mexico’s territory has optimal conditions for solar energy, José Navarro told the Intersolar Mexico Forum in Mexico City in April 2022. Navarro is general director of Tarsus Mexico, organizer of the forum.
Solar installations have soared during the past several years. Mexico’s installed photovoltaic solar panels had a total capacity of 7.4 gigawatts by the end of 2021, up from 171 megawatts in 2017, said Nelson Delgado, director of the Asolmex solar industry association. That puts solar at 8.2% of the country’s energy capacity, almost even with wind, which stood at 8.4%, he said.
A 2018 report by German Cooperation for Sustainable Development in Mexico projected that Mexico could be up to 19 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2030, which would rank it the fifth largest solar-generating country in the world.
In 2020 alone, as many as 14 large-scale solar projects were in the works in Mexico, according to an article in PV magazine. If they were all completed, they would add 4 gigawatts of capacity to the electric grid and would involve nearly $5 billion in investment, the National Electricity System said.
Mexico has set a goal of 35% clean energy generation by 2024 and 50% by 2050. That would increase energy access, reduce electric costs to consumers and help improve the reliability of Mexico’s power system, according to a report released in April 2022 by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
With its solar and wind resources and potential for additional geothermal and hydropower, “Mexico can be a clean energy powerhouse,” said NREL Laboratory Director Martin Keller, “and a vital part of maintaining North America’s competitive edge around the world.”
Wisconsin clean energy companies could find a market for their products in Mexico as that country pursues its renewable energy goals.
Intersolar Mexico will be held Sept. 6-8, 2022, in Mexico City, along with The GREEN Expo® and Aquatech Mexico, offering opportunities to find out more about possibilities and pursue potential connections.
