At-a-Glance:
Considered a global initiative, the Path to 100% movement seeks to find reliable, quick and cost-effective ways to fully decarbonize electricity. To achieve this, there are a variety of paths available to every country. What would Mexico’s roadmap look like? Wärtsilä’s Business Development Executive for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, Raúl Carral, sheds light on where to start. To learn more, read “Mexico’s Path to 100%.”
Key Takeaways:
- A look at SENER’s latest 2019 figures reveal that Mexico had around 80 GW of installed energy capacity. Fossil fuels accounted for 66 percent of that capacity, of which 56 percent came from natural gas.
- Renewables and hydroelectricity combined made up 17 percent of installed energy, although many MWs of wind and solar were installed in 2020.
- Carral argues that Mexican utility CFE should consider competitive, future-proof assets like renewable power and flexible power generation and make plans based on a vision that will lead to more profitability, sustainability and reliability for CFE’s power generation and Mexico’s power grid.
- Carral highlighted that several hydrogen projects are underway, which will help lower costs associated with this fuel. Existing gas-based power plants could be adapted to run on hydrogen and Wartsila announced they will be ready to burn this fuel with their equipment, too.
Path to 100% Perspective:
Mexico’s path to 100% is beginning to unfold. As the country increases its reliance on renewables, investing in infrastructure, like flexible thermal generation, will be critical to make up for times of intermittent wind and solar power. Path to 100% formed a community of subject matter experts in Mexico to explore the best way to 100% renewable energy penetration.
Photo by Mario Peppino on Unsplash