Mexico. In the sixth government report of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, progress is mentioned in the renewable energy sector, mainly with solar energy.
For example, from September 2023 to June 2024, photovoltaic generation registered an increase of 84 Gigawatt hours (GWh) compared to the same period of the previous year. In that same period, the CFE generated 26,422 GWh of clean energy, which represented 42.11% of total clean energy generation in Mexico.
However, the complete transition to a clean energy matrix still faces challenges. In the next 10 years, Mexico has the potential to consolidate itself as a leader in solar power generation in Latin America, but sustained commitment from future governments and the private sector will be needed to accelerate this transformation.
Photovoltaic projects continue to gain ground in Mexico. According to the latest Solar Inventory report of the Mexican Association of Solar Energy (ASOLMEX), the country has experienced growth in photovoltaic capacity both on a large scale and in distributed systems throughout the country. Together, both segments totaled a solar capacity in Mexico of 10,479 MW, with an estimated direct investment of more than 11,000 million dollars and more than 110,000 jobs generated.
For Alfonso Hernández, a regulatory specialist at Enlight, photovoltaic energy generation is on the rise, but in the country long-term auctions (SLPs) were interrupted and this meant that large-scale projects in Mexico have been paralyzed. Given this situation, the growth of solar projects has been mainly due to distributed generation; If the auctions are reactivated, photovoltaic generation would continue to gain ground, says the expert.
Solar and other renewable sources still face the challenge of being fully integrated into an infrastructure dominated by fossil fuels. During Enrique Peña Nieto's six-year term, for example, renewable energies advanced, but at a more moderate pace, mainly focused on attracting foreign investment in all energy sectors
The Energy Progress Report of the Ministry of Energy (SENER) states that the generation of electricity from clean renewable sources has advanced significantly in Mexico in recent years. The net generation of clean renewable energy in 2022 was 82,983.58 GWh. The generation of clean renewable energy from 2018 to 2022 presents an increase of 51.05%. Between 2018 and 2022, generation through photovoltaic, wind and hydroelectric technologies increased by 533.4%, 65.1% and 10.3%, respectively.
"This balance between conventional and renewable energies is understandable in the context of Mexican energy policy, which seeks to reduce dependence on gas and oil without compromising electricity supply in the short term. However, in the long term, accelerating the transition to renewables will be crucial if Mexico is to meet its climate commitments and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. One of the factors that will make the difference will be the storage systems, which give way to making photovoltaic generation systems more stable and de-stressing the national electricity system, the potential for savings for the industry through these systems is very considerable," adds Hernández.
