Is Geothermal Competitive in an Era of Low Cost Renewables?

April 12, 2017

 Guest Editorial written by Kevin Wallace, POWER Engineers News on power purchase rates of 40-50 $/MWh for new solar-PV plants begs the question – can geothermal be competitive, with prices challenging for any but the   largest of geothermal projects? We feel geothermal still has a valuable role in the energy portfolio, if the wider […]

Panama commissions its largest PV plant at 42 MW

April 12, 2017

Italian power provider Enel has connected to the grid Panama’s largest PV plant, the 42 MW Sol Real project. According to a filing with the stock exchange, the plant will sell power to the Enel’s 300 MW Fortuna hydroelectric power station in Panama. The installation is expected to generate around 70 million GWh of electricity […]

St. Lucia convenes today for public consultation on geothermal project

April 11, 2017

The Government of Saint Lucia (GoSL) convenes its third public consultation for its geothermal project today, where high-level representatives from the Department of Sustainable Development are expected to make informative presentations of the plans of the GoSL for geothermal exploration. The exploratory phase of the project continues with the next crucial steps being the completion of […]

Iceland Announces Sponsorship; Signing with Mexico to Take Place at GEOLAC

April 11, 2017

The Icelandic Geothermal Cluster Initiative, an organization representing the interests of over 50 Icelandic companies actively serving the geothermal industry, has confirmed a senior sponsorship role at GEOLAC 2017. Signaling a strong presence for Iceland in the LAC geothermal markets, the cluster will be represented by household names such as Iceland Drilling, ISOR, Mannvit, and […]

Dominican Republic to commission 360 MW of renewables in 2018

April 10, 2017

The Dominican Corporation of State Electric Companies (CDEEE) announced that it has started work on eight renewable-energy projects that will provide 361.2MW of new generation capacity to the country’s grid in 2018. The announcement was made by Rubén Jiménez Bichara, executive vice president of CDEEE, during the launch of the Renewable Energy Projects Support Plan. […]

Nicaragua poised for geothermal boom, defines twelve areas for development

April 7, 2017

With large private and public investments and the support of the World Bank and the IDB, Nicaragua is ready to take advantage of its high renewable energy potential. With a potential of more than 2,000 MW, Nicaragua is one of the most attractive countries in Central America when it comes to investment into geothermal energy development. In 2014, […]

Guyana: Green Heart Tree Energy commissions new solar PV system

April 6, 2017

Green Heart Tree Energy (GHTE) entered the renewable energy market in Guyana earlier on March 3, 2017 when it commissioned a 10 kilowatt system to power the Paramakatoi Flavours Sun Dried Tomato Processing Plant, the company said in a statement. “The Paramakatoi project is the beginning of GHTE’s commitment to long term investment in the […]

Enel Mexico breaks ground on large solar facility

April 5, 2017

Enel has commenced the construction of a 238MW Don Jose capacity solar power plant in Mexico, with an investment of $220m. Located in the State of Guanajuato at San Luis de la Paz, the solar photovoltaic (PV) plant’s construction is being carried out by the Italian energy and gas major’s Mexican subsidiary Enel Green Power […]

Chilean geothermal plant begins operations, a first for South America

April 3, 2017

The long anticipated 48 MW geothermal power plant Cerro Pabellon has started commercial operation supplying electricity to Northern Chile. The Cerro Pabellón plant is located at an elevation of 4,500 meters above sea level in the Ollagüe commune in the Atacama Desert. The plant is the first geothermal installation in all of South America, and […]