Ricardo González Romero is a General Manager at Anabática Renovables in Santiago, Chile. He’s a subject matter expert on renewable energy serving in several different roles in the energy sector. He is also a guest professor at three different universities throughout the Latin American region.
Question: Please describe yourself and your work.
Ricardo: I am a General Manager at Anabática Renovables in Santiago, Chile, where my background and expertise is in consultancy, management, team restructuring, renewable energy support, along with greenfield wind and solar project development. Anabática Renovables provides financial and investment advisory services, reliable third-party assessment, and independent technical assessment for companies seeking to participate in Latin America´s wind and solar energy market.
My specialties within the renewable energy sector are in valuation of assets; mergers and acquisitions; project evaluation; management project; wind energy analysis; business development; and energy technology assessment. In addition to my current position, I serve as a guest professor at the Universidad Tecnológica Nacional in Argentina; the Universidad de Chile, and the Universidad de Zaragoza in Spain.
Q: With your extensive experience in the region and work with Anabática Renovables, could you please describe the current state of the renewable energy sector in Chile?
Ricardo: Well, we are still growing up. Even though 2020 was a terrible year, our business has experienced interesting growth and next year looks to be going the same. Decarbonization, green hydrogen, investment opportunities, batteries, and more make the position we occupy interesting for all of us who are in it.
Q: Why is investing in renewable energy so important for Chile? And what sectors offer the most promise?
Ricardo: That is difficult to know in the middle of this pandemic! Chile needs to change. It needs more and more green energy to face a greener future and make the national industry more competitive and clean. It means we have to clean up our electrical matrix. We also need to pursue new projects, while the country needs to offer this possibility in a stable market with clear rules.
Q: Why do you consider the need to make a good return on an investment a main barrier or challenge for Chile on its path to clean and affordable energy?
Ricardo: In general, the world does not offer too many opportunities to invest (safely, on a regular basis). In our business, there is still a lot of competition and Chile, due to its economic conception, does not facilitate a return on investment as it happens in many other countries. It is necessary to be extremely cautious with the economic-financial projections, especially with regard to the marginal cost.
Q: Finally, based on your experience and work at Anabática Renovables, how can Chile lead the way towards 100 percent renewable energy? And what progress do you foresee for the region in the coming years?
Ricardo: Working hard. Making good estimations, considering externalities, and paying attention to local communities. We need to think in terms of renewables and batteries.
Photo by Amanda Hortiz on Unsplash