The immediate future of photovoltaic in Mexico

Considered the most important B2B platform in the country, ‘Intersolar Mexico 2024’ had the participation of 400 companies from 20 countries to present solutions aimed at the industrial, commercial and government sectors in an environment that promotes innovation and collaboration.

The 5th edition of Intersolar Mexico concludes at the Citibanamex Center, Mexico City.

On this occasion, the expo brought together the photovoltaic, solar thermal and energy storage industries at a strategic moment for renewables in Mexico.

Companies such as SMA, Astroenergy, Risen, IM Energy Power Plant, Elit, Yingli, TW Solar, Sunlink and Antai were present on the exhibition floor.

During the first two days of activities, the program of the International Congress generated great expectations among attendees due to the current context of the country, in light of the expected change in public policies that will be more favorable for taking advantage of the potential of solar and energy storage technologies.

Over the course of two days, 18 sessions were held by 36 national and international speakers, the vast majority of whom were women, who have become leading voices in the industry, responding to gender equality and contributing their valuable knowledge to this important forum.

Patricia Tatto, President of Women in Renewable Energy Mexico, discussed the grid congestion in the Mexican electrical system and the need to expand transmission and distribution lines. Given this scenario, technology plays a fundamental role in expanding installed capacity.
Image by Fernando Estrada

Tatto: “We need to learn about the energy storage systems that are being deployed in other countries such as Great Britain, Australia, Chile or China that have a significant concentration of renewables and systems such as batteries to help provide flexibility and congestion to the grid.”
David Wedepohl, General Manager of International Affairs, German Solar Association, explained that Germany has installed more than one million photovoltaic systems, demonstrating that investment and infrastructure are key to success: “Reducing bureaucracy and the availability of land have been essential to accelerate the development of solar projects and achieve our renewable energy goals for 2030.”

Brad Heavner, Policy Director, California Solar and Storage Association, discussed the three challenges of managing the grid in California, the first being the peak power that occurs during the summer; second, there is the overproduction of solar energy in the middle of the day that requires more storage; and the third is the contracts with natural gas planners that become expensive and unreliable.

Teresita Vial Villalobos, director of the energy and projects area, ACU Abogados; Brad Heavner, policy director, California Solar and Storage Association; Patricia Tatto, president, MERM. Image by Fernando Estrada Hernández

Heavner: “California has a mandate to have 60% renewable use by 2030 and to date we have 35%, so we still have a long way to go because there is still a lot of gas use, mainly from power plants that have already passed their useful life and would have to retire not only for safety reasons but for reliability.”