At the second edition of Solar Power Mexico, special emphasis will be placed on the different types of energy storage technologies available, as these will play a revolutionary role in the adoption of photovoltaic systems on varying scales, thereby facilitating Mexico’s transition to renewable energies.
1. Mexico is a solar power: Mexico is ideally positioned to make a rapid transition to renewable energies and become a global solar power. Ranked third worldwide in terms of solar irradiation, the country is also home to the world’s largest lithium deposit, has a mature photovoltaic industry and a pool of talented STEM graduates.
2. Advantages of storing energy: The development of energy storage technologies will disrupt the dynamics of the global energy market by doing away with the problem of intermittence, resulting in a more reliable, more diversified electricity grid, mitigating power cuts, reducing prices, and promoting energy self-sufficiency.
a) An industry that is growing exponentially: The sharp decline in the price of storage technologies—driven mainly by improvements in the efficiency of lithium ion batteries and increased consumption of electric vehicles—, coupled with technological progress in the development of materials, components and chemical processes, will lead to the exponential growth of the global energy storage industry in this decade.
b) New market of electricity prosumers: The marriage of photovoltaic and storage technologies will turn users into prosumers, i.e. que consumers who consume the electricity they produce themselves in the same place where it is consumed, which will translate into savings, greater efficiency and the democratization of energy.
C) Reliability and reduced prices: The flexibility afforded by energy storage technologies could help the sector realign periods of supply and demand, resulting in a more reliable, more resilient grid, better quality and lower cost electricity, more profits for users, and greater investment in infrastructure.
d) Paris Agreement goals: Energy storage technologies will be essential to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation and power generation in the short term, enabling us to comply with the 30% reduction in global emissions required to achieve the Paris Agreement goal of keeping the planet’s temperature below 2°C.
3. Energy storage value chain in Mexico: To capitalize on our strategic geographic location and natural resources, we need to create a four-helix platform—government, the private sector, academia and international organizations (GIZ, WEF)—, with a view to setting up a value chain for energy storage technologies in Mexico that will secure our transition to renewable energies and energy independence, and create thousands of well-paid “green jobs” in the process.
4. Smart electricity grid: To ensure our transition to renewable energies is viable on a large scale, we need to promote the creation of a smart electricity grid that is in synch with our new digital reality.
Fortunately, technological breakthroughs in the areas of artificial intelligence, blockchain and big data are producing aggregate solutions and innovative business models in the energy distribution segment.
5. Fusion between Industry 4.0 technologies and electric vehicles: Storage technologies will develop on a par with smart electricity grids, allowing for the creation of a new, renewable system that will power our industries, companies, homes, vehicles and smart devices with clean, unlimited energy.
Due to their unique physical and operating characteristics, energy storage systems can provide a wide range of services throughout the energy value chain: