Mexico targets 20-fold increase to 5.4 GW of PV capacity by 2019
Mexico has set the ambitious target of achieving 5.4 GW of PV panels by the end of 2019, 20 times current capacity, says the country's Energy Secretariat. During H1 2016, clean power made up 19.68% of Mexico's energy generation but just 0.06% of it was from solar power. The nation's current installed solar generating capacity is just 270 MW or 0.38% of total assets, following the addition of 100 MW last year. The 2015 Energy Transition Law has set targets of 25% clean energy by 2018, 30% by 2021 and 35% by 2024.

Mexico added approximately 100 MW of PV in the first half of 2016, bringing the country’s total PV capacity to 270 MW, according to the latest report by the Energy Secretariat.

PV only represents 0.38% of the Mexican electric generation capacity, while 94.28 GWh were generated by this source in the first half of 2016, making up only 0.06% of the gross generation.

The growth of PV in the country within the first half of last year was moderate compared to the expected capacity increases in the coming years. “By the end of 2019, 5,400 MW of capacity are expected to be added (20 times the current capacity),” said the report.

To achieve this, the Energy Secretariat has taken into consideration new projects and the projects awarded during the two clean energy auctions that took place last year, which have a combined capacity of 3,544 MW.

The clean energy targets established within Mexican legislation, specifically in the Energy Transition Law (LTE) approved in December 2015, have been set at 25% clean energy by 2018, 30% by 2021 and 35% by 2024.

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In the first half of 2016, clean energy made up 19.68% of Mexico’s energy mix. Of this, 15.86% corresponded to renewable energy sources and 3.82% corresponded to other sources that the government has deemed clean, including nuclear power. On the other hand, 80.32% of the country’s energy mix was made up of fossil sources.

In an attempt to boost renewable energy incorporation into the country’s energy mix, a new scheme of annual tenders for renewable technologies was introduced in 2016, of which two auctions have already taken place. The government announced last September that the next auction will be launched in April of 2017.

This article was originally published in pv magazine Latin America. It was translated by Sam Pothecary.