Panama is emerging as a green energy hub

Panama is on the way to diversifying its energy matrix with alternative renewable sources such as solar and wind. Although hydroelectric energy has a greater weight, with more than 75% of the generation, the participation of photovoltaic and wind sources are beginning to gain more strength, and the country is emerging as a green energy hub.

According to the Public Services Authority (ASEP), there are 484 megawatts (MW) of definitive wind power licenses that could enter the market in the medium and long term.

One of the projects in operation is the Laudato Si Wind Farm, which began operations in 2015 and is the largest in Central America and the Caribbean. This park, in which 436 million dollars were invested, has delivered in 7 years the equivalent of more than 3 million MWh. "Wind energy has become more relevant in our system, reaching up to 11% of the generation", said Mónica Lupiañez, country manager of InterEnergy Panama, the company in charge of the wind farm.

The National Dispatch Center (CND) details that this wind farm, in 2021 generated 434,235.18 MWh (434.2 GWh) of clean energy, which represented approximately 3.8% of the contribution in Panama's energy matrix and up to 10% in dry period.

The generation of wind energy in the country would be avoiding the emission of more than 441 thousand tons of carbon into the environment, has mitigated the emission of 3.8 tons of nitrogen dioxide and 138 thousand tons of sulfur dioxide. "It helps to reduce - on average - one million barrels of oil per year and save 100 million dollars in operating costs," said Manuel Palma, commercial analyst at InterEnergy Group.

It is estimated that 707,396 MW of wind energy are installed in the world (at the end of 2020). Of this proportion, Asia has 48%, Europe 27%, North America 20% and Latin America and the Caribbean only 4%.