[en] The study of the PV potential in Miraflores de la Sierra forms part of the development of strategies to promote renewables-based distributed generation. The importance of residents and their urban environment in the change of energy model is taking on a new role, as both consumer and energy producer. Facilitating this transition towards a new model, demonstrating the huge possibilities of this new agent, is one of the basic objectives of this article. (Author)

[en] Offshore wind investments in Europe doubled in 2015 to €13.3bn in a record year for financing and gridconnected installations. A total of 3,019 MW in new offshore wind capacity came online in European waters in 2015, more than double the capacity connected to the grid in 2014. Europe’s total offshore wind capacity now stands at 11,027 MW. A further 3,034 MW of capacity, spread across ten projects, reached final investment decision last year, a twofold increase on 2014. These are some of the main figures contained in “The European offshore wind industry - key trends and statistics 2015”, a report published by EWEA. (Author)

[en] Ingeteam Service, part of the Ingeteam Group, is a leading company in the provision of integrated O&M services at energy generation and exchange facilities worldwide. From its head office in the Albacete Science and Technology Park, it manages the work of the 1,300 employees that make up its global workforce, rendering services to wind farms, PV installations and power generation plants. In addition, it maintains an active participation strategy in a range of R&D+i programmes that improve the existing technologies and are geared towards new production systems and new diagnostic techniques, applied to renewables installation maintenance. (Author)

[en] Mexico is the second largest market in Latin America’s renewable energy sector and the one that offers the highest growth potential. During a time of transition in which the rules of the market are being redefined and technical standards updated, applications for pre-feasibility studies up until 2018 have already exceeded 27,400 MW. For this trend to consolidate, a legal framework and robust technique is critical that satisfies the interests of both the public and the developers, without compromising electrical grid stability. (Author)

[en] About a year ago, the largest rooftop PV installation in Latin America came online in Honduras. Inaugurated by the country’s president, Juan Orlando Hernández, in March 2015, the plant is situated on the roof of the region’s PepsiCo bottling plant, EMSULA (Embotelladora de Sula S.A.) in the town of San Pedro Sula. The project, which has become a reference in the region, has been developed over two phases, the first of which corresponds to a 259 kWp pilot project, commissioned in November 2013, to which the second phase was added last year. (Author)

[en] Immersed in the global price instability of fossil fuels and with an upsurge in renewables as the agent for development, countries like Mexico, that largely depend on this resource to generate income and whose national electrical energy generation mainly comes from these fuels, find themselves obliged to take decisions that allow them to maintain their appeal compared to other emerging markets. In this decision-making process, Mexico has been slow to implement its long-awaited Energy Reform that incentivises direct foreign investment and avoids the monopolies that have until recently prevailed in the Mexican energy and electricity sector. (Author)

[en] Ereda has undertaken a project that aims to analyse the possibility of limiting the cost of the energy supply to a medium-sized industrial plant, with an installed capacity of over 26 MW, located in the south-west of Kazakhstan. The cost of electricity for its processes accounts for an important part of its production cost, achieving values in excess of 40%. The price of electricity in the country is expected to rise over the coming years. In addition, the plant is now required to reduce CO2 emissions from its industrial activity, which is why a further cost arising from the acquisition of emissions rights is expected in future. (Author)

[en] According to preliminary numbers from GTM Research, 59 GW of solar PV were installed globally in 2015, representing a 34% increase over 2014 total. The fourth quarter of 2015 showed that global PV demand is very much at the mercy of government support, which can often be unpredictable and idiosyncratic, frequently leading to negative, although occasionally positive, outcomes. By the end of 2016, cumulative installations will reach 321 GW. (Author)

[en] The optimum maintenance of installations in hotel establishments is becoming increasingly necessary given the complexity and diversity of this type of buildings, with the aim of being efficient in the use of the resources that they consume, such as water and energy. From the owners of the establishments and the companies responsible for the hotel management, to the clients that stay in them, it is vitally important that the operation of its installations is guaranteed at all times, particularly as regards temperature control. Proper preventive maintenance therefore plays an essential role in ensuring that the hotel guests’ experience is as positive as possible. (Author)

[en] The installation of a wind farm involves countless permits and one of the least well-known, but possibly the most problematic, is the permit related to aeronautical easements. In regions with high wind power development potential, but which are extremely restricted by the lie of the land and compatibility with aerodromes, as in the Canary Islands, wind farm developers are very familiar with the aeronautical easements authorisation that can even end up bringing an entire project to a standstill. (Author)