ESPECIAL AMÉRICA LATINA: EÓLICA | LATAM SPECIAL EDITION: WIND ENERGY los recientes acuerdos climáticos de la Conferencia de las Partes (COP21) celebrada en París, ha dado a muchos políticos latinoamericanos más motivación para promover la energía eólica y de otras fuentes renovables. Brasil es el principal desarrollador eólico de Latinoamérica y uno de los primeros en adoptar esta tecnología. Más de la mitad de la capacidad eólica de la región está ubicada en este gigante sudamericano, que sumó 2GW en 2016 para alcanzar una capacidad total instalada de 10,7GW, según GWEC. México es el segundo mayor mercado de energía eólica de América Latina. El país incorporó 454MW de nueva capacidad el año pasado, alcanzando un total de 3,5GW. Y pese a ser un mercado mucho más pequeño en comparación con los dos gigantes antes mencionados, Uruguay es sin duda la mayor historia de éxito de América Latina. Desde que priorizó el desarrollo de la energía eólica en 2010, el país ha instalado 1,2GW de capacidad eólica, que hoy dan cuenta de más del 25% de su pequeño parque de generación, porcentaje que se compara con un 7% en Brasil y un 4% en México. Chile es el cuarto mayor mercado eólico de la región, con una capacidad instalada de 1GW y otros 208MW en construcción en enero de 2017, según cifras de su Ministerio de Energía. Y los demás mercados latinoamericanos son considerablemente más pequeños. Desde la celebración de su primera subasta de energía renovable en 2009, Perú ha desarrollado 240MW de energía eólica y recientemente licitó otros 54MW. Argentina y Colombia, en tanto, han desarrollado apenas 187MW y 18MW de energía eólica, respectivamente, aunque ambos países están en la cúspide de un crecimiento más substancial. Costa Rica, por su parte, ha desarrollado una combinación de plantas eólicas, geotérmicas e hidroeléctricas que ha permitido al país centroamericano eliminar todos los combustibles fósiles de su matriz eléctrica. El país agregó 41MW en 2016 alalready built wind farms, while exciting new markets are emerging elsewhere in the region. In most countries, wind is now cost-competitive - or nearly there - with conventional sources of electricity, namely large hydro and natural gas. It is also a potential salve for the energy security risks faced by the region’s hydrodependent power grids; more wind tends to blow during droughts in many areas. More than half of all wind capacity in the region is located in Brazil, which added 2GW during 2016 to reach a total of 10.7GW installed. Mexico is the second-largest wind market. The country added 454MW of new capacity last year, reaching a total of 3.5GW. Although much smaller by comparison, Uruguay is arguably Latin America’s greatest success story for wind power. Wind now comprises more than 25% of the Uruguayan generation park, compared to 7% in Brazil and 4% in Mexico. Chile is the region’s fourth largest wind market with 1GW installed and another 208MW under construction in January 2017, according to figures from the local energy ministry. Other markets in Latin America are considerably smaller. Since holding its first renewables auction in 2009, Peru has brought online 240MW of wind and recently tendered another 54MW. Argentina and Colombia have built just 187MW and 18MW, respectively, although both countries appear to be on the cusp of more substantial growth. Costa Rica has developed a mix of wind, geothermal and hydro plants that have allowed the Central American country to all but eliminate fossil fuels from its electricity matrix. The country added 41MW in 2016 to reach 319MW of wind capacity, according to the local state utility. Also in Central America, Panama (270MW), Nicaragua (187MW) and Honduras (175MW) have all developed wind projects as part of a push to reduce their reliance on expensive fuel imports. For the same reason, many Caribbean nations have invested in wind and solar projects. The Dominican Republic, for example, completed its third wind park, the 50MW Larimar plant, in March 2016, bringing its total capacity to 135MW. The government of Brazil, whose economy has slid into recession over the last two years, had to suspend a reserve power auction planned for 2016 due to declining electricity demand. No new wind projects were tendered last year as a result. This has put the local wind industry on edge and is likely to tarnish the sector’s spectacular growth record, although its prospects remain positive in the longer run. “The growth of wind in Brazil will see a small decline in 2019, but we think that by energética XXI · 166 · MAY17 55
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