Development of Solar Energy in Colombia and its Prospects (2009)
Submitted by Raquel Ponte Costa on November 8, 2010This essay was written by Humberto RodrÃguez Murcia and covers the development of solar energy in Colombia.
The essay goes through the history of solar energy in the country, both thermal and photovoltaics. Colombia has a long record of solar heaters installations in various cities. The first installations started in the 70s.
The paper concludes that investments in solar energy have been very much dependent from energy crises. A more consistent policy would allow an increase in the use of renewables against the use of fossil fuels and more security of energy supply especially for remote regions. For this to take place, more legislative initiatives are needed. The law 697 of 2001, also known as "Ley URE" (Uso Racional de EnergÃa: rational use of energy) has lead to significant investments in the country in 2003, like for instance the Jepirachi wind farm. Similar instruments would be necessary to take solar energy in Colombia to another level.
(Only available in Spanish)
Author: Humberto RodrÃguez Murcia
Date: 2009
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