POWER January 2022 - 12

GLOBAL MONITOR
The project also represents a major
commitment for the IFC, which is helping
EdP establish a long-term Corporate
Social Responsibility Plan, a first of its
kind in El Salvador. The plan is based on
IFC's Social and Environmental Sustainability
standards. IFC will provide
technical support and guidance to support
EdP's capacity to manage environmental
and social risks, particularly
pertaining to emissions, along with
other impacts to both land and marine
biodiversity.
-Darrell Proctor is a senior associate
editor for POWER.
Commercial Photovoltaic
Systems Now Available
to Residents in Cuba
As a part of a political movement to develop
renewables and more efficiently
use energy in Cuba, the state-owned
company COPEXTEL will be responsible
for commercializing photovoltaic (PV)
systems for the Cuban residential sector.
According to Rolando Gómez, general
manager of Ecosol Energía division,
these systems use solar panels and
inverters that convert the solar energy
available into electricity for consumption
in homes, commercial institutions, and
industries, thus producing important
savings on electricity bills. Likewise, it
allows users to self-generate electricity,
either for personal consumption or
to send directly to the national electric
grid, he emphasized.
However, the installation of PV systems
requires specific conditions, such
as available flat rooftops or ground surface
of 12.5 square meters. In the case
of the roof, it must be of concrete,
and in the case of ground, it needs to
be paved (cemented or asphalted) and
exposed to the sun all year long. Preferably,
the surface should be oriented
horizontally or in such a manner that
permits adequate leveling of the photovoltaic
system (Figure 5).
Susana Delgado, headwoman at the
sales department, explained that clients
can visit company offices or call
COPEXTEL's phone center to order systems.
In both cases, the PV system will
be tentatively booked until a technician
visits the location (usually within seven
days) where the customer wants the
PV module to be installed and evaluates
the conditions that must exist for
the proper functioning of the equipment.
Within
five working days, the
client can proceed to purchase the PV
system, and this could be made either
12
5. Photovoltaic power systems are now commercially available to the Cuban residential sector.
Source: Shutterstock
in cash, by means of electronic payment,
or by requesting a credit from a
banking institution.
The cost of a PV module is 55,000
Cuban pesos (about $2,292), and includes
all the system components, its
transportation, and the visits of the
technical personnel for its installation
and setup. Afterwards, the client must
visit the electric company to arrange a
contract for the connection of the purchased
PV system to the national grid.
This is the first time that PV modules
will be commercialized to the Cuban
people in the national currency, which is
expected to increase demand markedly.
In this first stage of the project, PV systems
will be marketed only in the capital
city (Havana), which is where buyers
must reside in order to guarantee the
technical visit for the service, including
the transportation and installation, in
a way of protecting clients. Nevertheless,
it's expected that service will be
extended to the rest of the country in
the near future.
-Amaury Pérez Sánchez (amauryps@
nauta.cu) is a chemical engineer based
in Cuba with the University of Camagüey.
POWER Digest
Israeli Group Enters JV for Renewable
Energy in Poland. Israeli renewables
developer Nofar Energy in late
November announced formation of a
joint venture (JV) with Poland's Electrum
S.P. Z O.O to develop as much as
1.25 GW of solar and wind power projects
in Poland. The deal marks Nofar
Energy's entry into the Polish renewable
energy market. The agreement
www.powermag.com
was followed by a second transaction,
with Nofar reporting it had purchased
a portfolio of solar projects with total
generation capacity of 185 MW from
Paged Real Estate. Nofar said the
moves are part of a global expansion
plan that includes the recent launch
of operations in the U.S., Italy, Romania,
and Spain. Nofar Europe will hold
an 80% stake in the new entity with
Electrum, an engineering company and
power producer, holding the other 20%.
The JV will seek to identify opportunities
for renewable energy deployment
in Poland, including development of its
own projects, ready-to-build schemes,
and the acquisition of greenfield projects.
The new entity also will look at
opportunities for project maintenance.
Electrum's expertise, in addition to providing
consulting and engineering services,
includes initiating and operating
renewable energy projects. The company
also manages solar, wind, energy
storage, and hydrogen
installations.
Poland has a goal of a 30% reduction
in industrial emissions by 2030, with
plans for several new solar and wind
power facilities. Nofar said Poland expects
to receive 21% of its electricity
from renewable resources by 2025,
with as much as 11.3 GW of new wind
and solar power generation being built
in the same period. The group said an
additional 14.4 GW of new renewable
capacity would be built between 2025
and 2030. The projects acquired from
Paged, a portfolio comprised of 14 projects
ranging from 1 MW to 68 MW, are
expected to enter commercial operation
in 2023-2024.
POWER | January 2022

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POWER January 2022

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