About twenty service stations have decided to go ahead with the construction of two solar power plants in the province of Mendoza, which will allow them to do so Pumping the generated energy into the grid at a much lower cost than they currently receive through the system, and even more so after the recent removal of subsidies.
The initiative seeks to become a A pilot that could be scaled up across the country As part of the upcoming transformation in the coming years of these charging points as electric mobility advances.
The project was developed from Confederation of Hydrocarbons and Related Commercial Entities (Cecha) Its starting point is the industrial park of Las Heras province, where it will be installed on lands already acquired Two solar parks with a capacity of 2 MW eachwhich will allow supplying Electricity demand for 20 service stations Different flags are located in different locations in the province.
The legal framework for the initiative is: Lee 27.424 Which defines the system for promoting distributed generation of renewable energy integrated into the public electricity grid to which 15 provinces have joined and under which, At the end of February, it reached 35,241 kilowatts of installed capacity, contributed by 1,679 generation users in 15 provinces..
Chicha head Isabelino RodriguezHe explained that although the self-generation project for electrical energy is not new, – Canceling the subsidy that caused an escalation in bills received by service stations It forced us to accelerate its implementation and start defining the agreements being negotiated with technology and infrastructure companies EMPSA H YPF lightThe largest electric generator in the corporate sector.
How much can service stations provide?
The increase in electricity prices has particularly affected dual stations, those that supply fuel and CNG and those that operate exclusively on CNG, which They went from paying $1.5 million in bills in January to $5 million currently. There are just over 5,200 service stations in the country, of which 1,000 have the advantage of providing high electricity consumption due to the demand for gas compressors.
With these numbers, the energy produced by an electric power plant of photovoltaic origin would allow this Save approximately 50% on your electrical service bill From the service station. So, at a monthly cost of about $5 million, the savings would be $2.5 million per month.
Investing in photovoltaic power generation It is paid off in approximately 6.5 years With an internal rate of return or IRR of 15%. Financing may arise from the issuance of A Green bonds, bank financing or the same construction The park will be delivered in a turnkey process.
For Rodriguez, the continuity of the idea is to expand the construction of solar parks to other jurisdictions nationwide that have adhered to the federal promotion system and that have favorable solar radiation conditions that allow investment to be maximized.
For this reason, Cecha is analyzing opportunities with several development companies, including one of the subsidiaries of PowerChina, the company responsible for the construction and expansion of the Cauchari Solar Park, in Jujuythe largest in Latin America.
In the second stage, Cecha managers and technicians analyze the incursion into the area Market Term Renewable Energy (MATR) Where contracts between private parties are freely directed, the size of which will allow a sustainable response to the growing demand for electric mobility, to the point of causing a change in the energy matrix in the medium and long term.
(tags for translation)Gas stations
