Mexico a Solar Energy Gold Mine

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December 9, 2010 in Clean Energy, Solar Energy

A new report out from Mexico’s energy department, SENER, delves
deeply into the nation’s vast solar energy potential, which is well
above that of current solar energy leaders Germany and Spain.
The report, Solar Energy Sector has a ton of info on the solar
 potential of Mexico,
but here are a number of key findings:

Only 0.06% of Mexico (in land area) would be needed to
power the entire nation from solar energy
(according to 2005 usage rates).
“Mexico’s average solar resources for PV (5 kWh/m2/day) are 

more than 60% higher than the best solar in Germany
(5.4 GW of installed PV).”
“PV installed in many cities across Northern and Central Mexico has an 

‘energy payback time’ (EPBT) of less than two years.”
“Northern Mexico’s Direct Normal Insolation is equivalent to 

the best in the U.S. Southwest and in the North African deserts.”

Of course, Mexico isn’t living up to its solar potential yet.
“Mexico is seriously underdeveloped in terms of solar
energy technologies like solar photovoltaic (PV), concentrating
solar power (CSP) and passive solar thermal (i.e., hot water heating),
” CalFinder Solar reports. “For example, as of a 2007-08 report –
Mexico Solar Installations by Type – there are no concentrating
solar power plants in Mexico, and 80 percent of the solar PV
 installations are not grid-connected. Moreover, 78 percent
of the solar thermal installations are for heating swimming
pools rather than residential wash water.”

With Mexico City signing historic climate change legislation
last week and the “Renewable Energy Development and Financing
 for Energy Transition Law” (LAERFTE in Mexico) in place since
 November 2008, hopefully the country will be tapping into its
solar resources a lot more soon.

Image via Greentech Media