Ecuador Photovoltaic Panel Production Project

Will El Aromo be Ecuador's first solar power plant?

Due to its scale and location El Aromo remains a bellwether project for Ecuador’s solar future. While Solarpack already has 15 solar generation projects in Spain, Chile, Peru, and India, El Aromo will be the company’s first power plant in Ecuador.

Does Ecuador have a solar energy policy?

He notes that Ecuador currently has only one energy policy related to photovoltaic solar energy: a net-metering policy introduced in October 2018 to promote distributed generation and to allow residential, commercial, and industrial operators to consume power generated using their own solar equipment.

Could solar power change Ecuador's energy mix?

That would have the potential to radically alter Ecuador’s energy mix. Ecuador’s Master Plan for Electricity (PME) 2018-2027 outlines energy initiatives led by the Ministry of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources (MERNNR). Despite some setbacks due to Covid-19, governmental support for new solar projects increased during 2020.

What is solar development in Manab Province?

The solar development in Manabí province marks a shift in land use from carbon-intensive to low-carbon energy production. In December 2020, the “El Aromo” solar energy project was approved in coastal Manabí province, Ecuador. Operated by the Spanish company Solarpack, the project is expected to transform national solar output.

How much energy does Ecuador use?

The most recent government figures from 2018 show total capacity from all energy sources in Ecuador was 8677MW, drawing primarily from hydropower (58.4 percent), fossil fuels (39.1 percent), biomass (1.7 percent), and solar, wind, and biogas, which are less than 1 percent each. But forecasts anticipate change of a greater magnitude.

Why is energy so important in Ecuador?

The recent history of energy in Ecuador is dominated by oil–its central role in the country’s export economy as well as its devastating environmental impacts in Amazon regions, suffered by Indigenous groups in particular.