Mexico, Photovoltaic technology status and prospects - Contribution to the Annual report 2004

Mexico
Photovoltaic technology status and prospects
Jaime Agredano, J. Huacuz Villamar
Electrical Research Institute (IIE)

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General Framework

Fig. 1 (left) - Quality Assurance in PV Rural Electrification Projects. Fig. 2 (right) - PV Street lighting in rural communities.

Implementation of PV systems in Mexico during 2004 maintained the same dynamics as in previous years. Rural electrification remains as the main application niche, although other applications, such as water pumping for small agricultural irrigation and livestock watering, keep growing steadily. New applications in the urban setting are emerging, such as a larger system of around 30 kWp, now under design, to be installed as part of the roof on a health food store building in Mexico City.
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National Programme

The National Energy Plan 2001 - 2006 sets a target for the electricity sector of 1 000 MW of additional installed capacity from renewables (excluding high temperature geothermal and large hydropower plants). That means a country commitment to the development and deployment of renewable energy, including photovoltaics.

The Government of Mexico is currently negotiating a GEF-WB project for the large scale deployment of renewable energy. Also under development is a project for capacity building in the area of rural electrification, including PV. Participation of national institutions and organizations, the Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP), and the World Bank, among other international agencies, is anticipated.
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Research and Development

During 2004, R&D efforts focused on the development of an inverter for grid-connected applications. Other activities carried out included the continued performance monitoring of the grid connected systems installed in the Northern States of Baja California, Sonora and Nuevo Leon.
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Implementation

The first privately owned grid-tied PV system is in the planning stage. The conceptual and basic engineering for the system has already been done. The system, around 30 kWp in capacity, will be installed on the roof of a health food store called the “Green Corner,” in Mexico City. The system set-up is planned to begin during the first half of 2005.

The Shared Risk Trust Fund of the Agriculture and Livestock Secretariat, (FIRCO, its name in Spanish) continued the technical and financial support for the installation of PV powered water pumping systems, electric fences, and cold tanks for milk storage.

The projects carried out by FIRCO were partially financed with funds from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Mexican Federal Government and the users. Under this programme, more than 450 PV water pumping systems were installed during 2004, with an installed power capacity near 300 kWp. FIRCO also co-sponsored with the Mexican Branch of ISES, The World Congress on Renewable Energy, held in central Mexico, where the application of PV for productive uses was one of the main topics.

The construction of a large hydroelectric power Plant located in the mountains of the western state of Nayarit, required the relocation of some rural communities to higher lands. Plans for the energy supply for some of those communities include Solar Home Systems, because PV represents the best techno-economic solution for this application.
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Market Development

The Mexican PV market for 2004 was a little bit above 1 MWp. Market segmentation was as follows. rural electrification remains as the main application for PV in Mexico with an installed capacity in 2004 of 574 kW; professional applications (telecommunications, off shore oil platforms and cathodic protection) amounted to 151 kW; water pumping 300 kW; and others miscellaneous applications 16 kW. The cumulative PV capacity installed in Mexico by the end of 2004 was 18,14 MWp.
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Future Outlook

Distributed generation is attracting the attention of the national utility as an alternative to support the electrical grid in some areas, and could become an important application in the near future.