AURA SOLAR I Solar Project
Clean energy from solar power
Baja California Sur, MEXIKO*
The solar system is located on 100 hectares of land in La Paz, Baja California Sur state.
Aura Solar I is expected to produce 65.7 GWh of electricity per year, which will be sold exclusively to Mexico's Federal Power Company CFE, through a 20-year PPA that is expandable and based on the country's small electricity producer (Pequeña Producción de Energía Eléctrica). This power will be transferred via a new 115 kV / 2.9 km long transmission line to the substation "Olas Altas".
The great potential of solar energy is hardly used.
This has different causes. So far, there is no specific funding program.
The technical and commercial risks of projects are therefore often considered too high and prevent project developers from investing in solar energy technologies.
The national financial institutions are little experienced in the valuation and financing of large scale solar projects. Collaboration between the private sector, science and government is too underdeveloped to stimulate investment in innovative technologies. In addition, the various actors do not have mechanisms for a concerted approach that invigorates the solar technologies market.
Mexico faces two key challenges in terms of electricity supply: The growth of industry and the population means that generation capacity must be constantly expanded. Between 2014 and 2027, installed capacity is expected to almost double from 62.2 to 114.9 gigawatts. In addition, the government has set itself ambitious goals in the transition to renewable energy sources. By 2024, 35% of the electricity should come from non-fossil sources, 2050 already 50%.
*mexiko
Agriculture before climate change.
Around a quarter of the 100 million Mexicans are already suffering from the consequences of climate change, which are manifested in the occurrence of increased extreme weather conditions. Frequent floods caused by hurricanes in the southeast of the country and extended periods of drought in the rest of Mexico do not make life any easier for the population. A good 50 percent of the soil is severely degraded as a result of changes in land use due to the effects of climate change. Big crop failures are the result.
Between 1970 and 2005, the areas covered with vegetation decreased by 18 million hectares (more than 25 million soccer fields!) Due to deforestation, natural forest fires. Numerous citizens' initiatives emerge from people's displeasure. They protest against the deforestation of the forests in their homeland, as a result of which numerous rivers and streams dry up and this in turn leads to crop failures due to the lack of water. Mexico has now been one of the first emerging countries to formulate its own, very correct climate protection targets, which envisage halving CO2 emissions by 2050 compared to the amount of CO2 emitted in 2000.
The German government supports Mexico both in protecting biological diversity in the “green environmental sector” and in urban-industrial environmental protection in the “brown sector”.
In the green environmental sector, corridors are being set up between protected areas and institutional capacity is being strengthened. This not only benefits biodiversity, but also contributes to the sustainable use of natural resources.
To overcome the serious environmental problems in cities, sustainable solutions for urban-industrial environmental protection are being developed.
This is a contribution to green growth in Mexico. (GIZ)
