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Library >> Renewable
Energy Resource Maps >> Latin America
Renewable Energy Resources in LATIN AMERICA
Bioenergy
| Geothermal
| Hydropower
| Ocean
| Solar
| Wind
 
All countries in the region are endowed
with abundant renewable energy sources. Solar,
wind, biomass, small hydro and other energy resources
from the ocean, are available in the region
in larger or smaller quantities, depending on the
geographical location and morphology of the individual
countries.
The force of winds can be used to produce
mechanical power and electricity by means of commercially
available and cost-competitive technologies. Southeast
Mexico and most Central American and Caribbean countries
are under the influence of Trade Winds, while
Southern Mexico and Central America are also exposed
to strong and almost constant thermally driven
winds. Windy places can also be found in the southern
hemisphere.
Solar energy is more evenly
distributed, as good portions of Latin America lie
within the so-called Sun Belt Region of highest solar
radiation. Thus, except for site specific adverse
microclimates, solar energy is a predictable and reliable
resource.
As a natural consequence of the solar
radiation available, photosynthetic activity in most
of the region is rather high, and hence the high production
of biomass. On top of that, many countries
have an economy based on agriculture, so that agricultural
waste, forest residues and other residues from animal
rising, which constitute another form of biomass,
is also abundant. These resources are difficult to
evaluate, so that information in aggregate and analyzed
form is scarce.
Most countries in the region use already
a good portion of their hydraulic potential
to generate electricity. However, most operations
lie in the multi-megawatt range, seeking economies
of scale characteristic of hydroelectric technologies.
This practice has left a large portion of the small
hydroelectric potential yet to be exploited. Given
the high rainfall indices and the rough topography
of many countries, small hydropower offers a good
alternative to supply electricity, especially in remote
sites.
Wave and tidal power,
along with other forms of energy available
in the ocean, represent an enormous energy potential
for many countries, especially when one considers
the large coastline to inland ratio of most countries
under consideration. Unfortunately, technologies to
tap such energy resources are still far from commercialization.
The down side of the renewable energy
resource scenario in Latin America is the fact that
little has been done to properly measure and characterize
these resources, which represents a major barrier
to the incorporation of this alternative as part of
the national energy inventories and planning exercises.
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