Renewable energy sources for electricity generation in Mexico: A review

Renewable energy projects have been launched throughout Mexico in order to deliver clean and affordable energy worldwide. The aims of this research are: (i) to know the current status of electricity generation through solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and hydropower in Mexico, (ii) to determine the renewable energy potential in Mexico and its generation schemes, and (iii) to analyze the social and environmental challenges that these technologies are going to face in Mexico. This paper highlights for the first time a comprehensive review of the current status of renewable energy projects for electricity generation in Mexico and the potential impact of these technologies in the social and environmental areas. The results presented are based on a critical review of the energy policy and regulation, as well as statistical data on electricity generation in Mexico. It was found that in Mexico 62 GW h/year were generated by solar photovoltaic technology of which 49 GW h/year were produced by 6 private projects and 13 GW h/year by 2 generating plants of the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE). There is a proven potential to generate 16,351 GW h/year through solar energy. Although the proven potential for wind power generation in Mexico is 19,805 GW h/year, wind power is exploited by onshore technology, with a generation of 7675 GW h/year of which the CFE produced 220 GW h/year through 3 generating plants, while 27 private producers generated 7455 GW h/year. In Mexico, the main renewable technologies used to generate electricity are hydropower, onshore wind farms, and geothermal. Mexico has a great potential to generate electricity from renewable sources, however the government must encourage its use through the appropriate mechanisms in order to achieve its proposed goals of generating 35% of total electricity from clean sources by 2025, improve the social welfare, and shape a sustainable future.