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These are data compiled by the SER Colombia association, in a document that also includes challenges and proposals to promote the massification of projects.
According to the Colombian Renewable Energy Association – SER Colombia, which brings together the most important companies in the sector, as of last August the country had 452 MW of installed capacity in commercial operation of self-generation projects and mini-farms or distributed generation.
According to the specifications, mini-farms or distributed generation have a capacity of "less than 1 MW, they generate electricity close to consumption centres, with the aim of marketing and selling it to third parties." Also, "only Public Service Companies (ESP) can do this."
Self-generation, on the other hand, is when "natural or legal persons produce electricity to meet their own consumption needs." It is added that "they are small-scale if they have a capacity of less than 1 MW, and large-scale if it is greater than 1 MW."
Thus, broken down, there are:
Mini farms: 17 projects (14.6 MW)
Large Scale Self-Generation (AGGE): 20 projects (250 MW)
Small Scale Self-Generation (AGPE): 8,766 projects (187 MW)
These figures represent 26% additional capacity compared to the capacity currently installed with Non-Conventional Renewable Energy Sources (FNCER) in medium and large scale projects.
According to Ser Colombia, whose data is obtained from surveys of its affiliated companies and from the XM Colombian Electricity Market Administrators API, the installed capacity of projects by department is as follows:
Antioquia: 49 MW (in operation: 43 MW)
Arauca: 2 MW (in operation: 0.1 MW)
Boyacá: 7 MW (in operation: 5 MW)
Caldas: 11.2 MW (in operation: 11 MW)
Caribe Mar (Bolívar, Córdoba, Cesar, Sucre): 109 MW (in operation: 54 MW)
Caribe Sol (Atlántico, Magdalena, La Guajira): 63 MW (in operation: 16 MW)
Casanare 5.5 MW (in operation: 5 MW)
Cauca: 23 MW (in operation: 2 MW) (in testing: 20 MW)
Cundinamarca: 44 MW (in operation: 28 MW)
Chocó: 0 MW (in operation: 0.4 MW)
Huila: 35 MW (in operation: 34 MW)
Meta: 88 MW (in operation: 84 MW)
Nariño: 2 MW (in operation: 1.8 MW)
Risaralda: 10 MW (in operation: 10 MW)
Santander: 71 MW (in operation: 70 MW)
Norte de Santander: 11 MW (in operation: 10 MW)
Quindío: 4.3 MW (in operation: 4 MW)
Valle del Cauca: 23 MW (in operation: 68 MW)
Tolima: 22 MW (in operation: 5 MW) (in testing: 1 MW)
Regarding ongoing procedures for projects under development, SER Colombia says it has identified 82 ongoing procedures for projects under development.
Challenges and proposals
The Ser Colombia report cites three “bottlenecks”:
Hoarding of connection points on circuits
The delay in the time to complete the processes for connecting to the network
The reduced connection validity period for distributed generation projects
Finally, the proposals to promote the massification of these projects include:
– Align practices with network operators:
Facilitate access to technical information and ensure active communication with operators for connection procedures. It is crucial to reduce speculation on connection points.
At SER Colombia we establish spaces for dialogue with network operators, the Government and private companies, to advance proposals that improve practices in the development of these projects.
– Extend the connection validity periods for distributed generation:
Align the timeframes with the AGGE deadlines. The 9 months established in the current regulation are not sufficient because during the development and construction stages these projects face the same challenges as large-scale projects, as they need to comply with various requirements and obtain permits.
-Increase DG and AGGE capacity:
Modify the installed capacity limit, under Resolution 174 of 2021, increasing distributed generation to 5 MW and Large-Scale Self-Generation to 10 MW to promote more robust and efficient decentralized systems. |
