Nicaragua reports 83% of energy from renewables
Momotombo plant in Nicaragua (source: Ormat)
Francisco Rojas
7 Jan 2015
At the start of 2015, National Load Dispatch Center (NCDC) reported that January 1, out of the 83% the highest figure in the history of the country, 21.8% was due to geothermal energy generation.
Nicaragua keeps on making new developments for geothermal and other renewables. According to local news, the National Load Dispatch Center (NCDC) reported that January 1, 2014 83% of the energy generated came from clean sources, the highest figure in the history of Nicaragua. CNDC’s report highlights that wind energy accounted for 34.1% of the energy matrix; followed by geothermal 21.8%; biomass 14.72; and hydroelectric 12.16%.
During the first half of 2014 Nicaragua exported energy generated from renewable sources to Costa Rica, Panama and Honduras, taking advantage offered by the Central Interconnection System (SIEPAC) as indicated by Clean Energy XXI.
According to the IDB study “Rethinking our energy future”, Nicaragua is one of the countries with renewable resources operating. It has the largest wind potential in Central America and vast resources of geothermal and solar energy. Nicaragua has half the wind potential in Mexico despite being much smaller in size, especially in the area of ??Rivas, south of the country. It is estimated that Nicaragua could produce about 11 times their current annual electricity generation through wind energy.
Regional Leader
Nicaragua was presented as one of the “Leading Green Energy countries” in the report of World Wildlife for Nature (WWF) published earlier this month. The country was highlighted for its efforts to transform the energy paradigm. The report lists the success stories of seven countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to prove that the region is poised to lead the revolution of sustainable energy states Clean Energy XXI.
According to the report, “the abundance of resources Nicaragua allow the country, despite its size, hold great potential for hydroelectric, geothermal and wind energy.” In 2007, the country began investing in renewable energy, creating an attraction for development of this sector legal framework.
From 2007 to 2013, sources of renewable energy in the energy generation matrix Nicaragua went from 25-52 percent; geothermal and wind energy accounted for over 30 percent. “The great success story of Nicaragua has been the increased market penetration of geothermal energy”, specifies the report. “Twenty years ago, no geothermal power generation in Nicaragua. 2013, and had over 150 MW of installed capacity, supplying about 16 percent of total electricity consumed by the country, “says the report by the WWF.
Source: Energia Limpia XXI
