Deployment of renewable energy experiment 

Latin and central america is a laboratory for deployment of renewable energy. Central American nations are applying  different means to procure solar. Developers are also testing various approaches that haven’t been applied elsewhere. Some of these more creative approaches includes auctions, feed-in tariffs, sale of electricity on the spot market, and bilateral negotiation of contracts. Some have achieved some of the highest penetrations of renewable energy deployed to date. Let’s review some of the methods to deploying renewable energy. 
 

Progress is being made 

Support of development agencies and banks. More crucial for the growth of utility-scale solar is financial support for solar projects from banks and programs of development agencies. The German Development Agency (GIZ) has counseled governments and provided aide for the deployment of renewable energy through a specific program for Central America. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) also has provided support. The French Development Agency (AFD) aides one the 101 MW Providencia solar project in El Salvador  Spain  supports a 1.4 MW solar project in Honduras.

As for banks, the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) gives finance for most of the utility-scale solar projects.

These nations are aggressively adding renewable energy, partly because they don’t have power plants. Central America has a very small coal mining industry and has no gas pipelines from outside the region. They have already broken new ground and serves as an example for nations around the world. Central America’s transition to renewable energy has demonstrated that small developing nations can be world leaders.
 

SIEPAC

To improve the reliability of electricity supply and integrate more electricity from renewables, Central America built a regional high-voltage interconnection. It’s called the Electrical Interconnection System of Central American Nations (SIEPAC).
In 2014 transmission lines in the SIEPAC grid were installed in Costa Rica. This finishes  the interconnection between six of the seven nations in Central America. Honduras planned for the integration of solar. Developers built these projects close to main transmission lines, and was advised on integration of renewable energy by the German Development Agency (GIZ). This advice comes from a nation with experience integrating high levels of renewable energy.

Solar power is here to stay, and the sooner you explore how much you can save, the sooner you can enjoy the benefits of residential solar power. Go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. It tells you how much solar power you need, and how much you can save. Please visit our solar blog to find out more about the benefits of going solar.