ALTERNATIVE ENERGY IN GUATEMALA

First, we have some definition of alternative energy

Solar energy is a renewable energy, obtained from the use of electromagnetic radiation from the Sun.

Wind energy is that energy obtained from the wind.

Geothermal energy is a renewable energy that is obtained by taking advantage of the heat from the interior of the Earth that is transmitted through hot rock bodies or conduction and convection, where processes of interaction of groundwater and rocks are raised, giving rise to geothermal systems.

In terms of energy, Guatemala comes as the second largest Central American power market, with a total generating capacity of 4.2GW( Power market in Guatemala, s.f.). Guatemala total energy generation capacity in 2016 was 10.9TWh, of which 41% came from fossil-based generation, 24% from large hydro, and 35% was from renewables (small hydro, wind, solar, biomass and geothermal)( Power market in Guatemala, s.f.).

WIND ENERGY

Guatemala's Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) used to estimate wind energy potential in the country as high as 7000MW.

In Guatemala there are two regions with winds capable of producing wind energy: the region of the departments of Escuintla and Guatemala, around the Pacaya volcano, and the eastern part of the department of Jutiapa, so it is not by chance this is where the wind power plants are installed. 

The first plant was “Eólico San Antonio El Sitio”, with an installed capacity of 52.8 MW, located in Villa Canales, department of Guatemala, which began operations in April 2015. 

The next is “Viento Blanco”, located in the municipality of San Vicente, Escuintla, around the Pacaya volcano, with an installed capacity of 23.1 MW, and has been operating since December 2015. 

The most recent is the “Las Cumbres” plant, which has a capacity of 31.5 MW, and is located in the municipality of Agua Blanca, Jutiapa. The total installed capacity as a whole is 106.5 MW, with energy production in 2019 of 330 GWh, representing 2.47% of the total generation in that year (Bolaños, 2017). 

SOLAR ENERGY

According to the solar maps of Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA), Guatemala's average solar irradiaion is 5.3kWh/m²/day (Koberle, A., 2012).

Within the scope of renewable energies, that is to say "clean" energy, it is estimated that the greatest technological development and implementation for the global use of solar energy by photovoltaic means is already taking place in this decade (2010 - 2020 ), in addition to the fact that it has been and is estimated to be the first option for renewable energy from 2001 to 2030; This implies that by the end of 2030 a high percentage of buildings and even homes will have this technology already implemented. This implementation will contribute to the increase in energy security of all countries worldwide, and Guatemala will not be the exception, since the use of a renewable energy source of local availability, practically inexhaustible and even more important, independent of imports, will increase sustainability and will also reduce pollution, helping together with other renewable energies, to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and especially in the mitigation of global climate change.

One planta, the 50 MW Horus I plant is located in the Santa Rosa area, near the village of Chiquimulilla, is equipped with an east-west axis tracker and occupies a 175-hectare plot (Koberle, A., 2012).

30 Guatemalan companies participated in its construction and its production represents approximately 1.25% of the energy produced annually in the country.

The second phase, Horus II, provides an additional 35 MW.

The new supply contracts of the distributors (15 years), which began to take effect on May 1, 2015 and involve the substitution of fossil technologies for hydroelectric, solar and wind; they have led to a drop in rates.

According to the report of the Electricity Subsector in Guatemala published by the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM), until June 2016 there are 3 photovoltaic plants connected to the national system installed with a power of just over 85 MW.

In 2015, the contribution of the solar plants was 149.6 GWh, including the Sibo operation in the municipality of Estanzuela, Zacapa, and Horus I and II in Chiquimulilla, Santa Rosa.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

We can consider it as the energy that the Earth encloses in the form of heat, and that has been produced mainly in the disintegration of radioactive substances in its core. This heat tends to diffuse inside until it escapes through the surface of the earth's crust. This energy would be enough to cover world needs if it could be used, but geothermal energy is a diffuse energy that is difficult to use.

 Geothermal energy is thereby a strong option as it could supply up to two thirds of the energy supply of the country, so a recent article from Guatemala.

The steam rising from the Pacaya volcano and the hills and rivers surrounding it on the outskirts of Guatemala’s captial city hints at a power source that could give the country the energy security it craves.

Geothermal steam and water some 2,000 meters below the surface of the green hills and mountains is being tapped by the global alternative energy company Ormat, converted into electricity, and fed into the city’s main power grid.

There are currently only two geothermal power plants in Guatemala, both owned by Ormat, but the government says there are many more opportunities under the country’s soil.

It hopes to use this power source to meet up to two-thirds of the country’s annual energy demands by 2022. 

Geothermal resources in Guatemala are estimated at 800 to 4,000 megawatts (MW) capacity (Urízar, C.,2012), most likely about 1,000 MW (Lippmann, 2012).

As a result of these studies, and those carried out by OTCA in the 1970s, the Zunil and Amatitlán geothermal areas received the highest priority for further study and possible development. A somewhat lower priority was assigned to San Marcos and Tecuamburro. Lower priorities were given to Los Achiotes, Moyuta and Ixtepeque-Ipala, while the areas of Palencia, Retana, Ayarza, Atitlán and Motagua were assigned to the lowest (fourth) priority category.