Central America mulls renewables integration in regional system

Government officials from Central America met in El Salvador last week to discuss the integration of renewable energy into the regional power system, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) said Thursday.

The Clean Energy Corridor, proposed by IRENA and the Central American Integration System (SICA), aims to integrate renewables into the interconnected system which is based on a recently completed transmission line of 1,800 km (1,118 miles) from Guatemala to Panama. The line is currently underused which is seen as an opportunity for deployment of more renewable energy in the region.

There are still barriers including the lack of regulation, technical tools and local experience in operating a regional power system with medium to high shares of variable renewable energy, IRENA said.

Renewable energy can help meet the growth in local power demand, estimated at 7 GW by 2020, reducing the dependence on fossil fuels and contributing to climate change efforts.

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