Colombia’s clean energy transition could reach a point of inflection this year as solar developers lead the race to decarbonize the electricity grid.
According to BNamericas’ database, which includes active and suspended projects, there are 34 solar parks due online in the second half of 2023 with combined installed capacity of 2,707MW.
Atlántico department on the Caribbean coast leads the way, accounting for 1,161MW, followed by Cesar with 725MW, Córdoba （318MW）， Tolima （260MW）， Caldas （201MW）， Magdalena （100MW）， Boyacá （88MW）， La Guajira （76MW） and Cauca （39.8MW）。
Meanwhile, there are two wind projects due to be completed from August to December totaling 406MW, although less than half of this figure is likely to be ready on time.
This is because the 205MW Windpeshi complex in La Guajira was suspended by owner Enel Colombia last month amid resistance to the project from local communities.
According to national renewable energy association SER Colombia, local solar and wind projects will bring investments of between US$2.5bn and US$3.4bn in 2023 and 2024.
The entity says investors are being enticed by high wind speeds and strong solar irradiation levels, particularly on the country’s Caribbean coast.
It is these attributes – and public policies aimed at favoring non-conventional renewable energy （NCRE） investment – that prompted the government to predict Colombia would boast more than 20,000MW of solar and wind capacity by 2050.
But although solar and wind developments have accelerated in the past four years, the country remains some way off reaching its NCRE targets, according to SER Colombia.
“Colombian electricity demand has been growing three times more than the generation capacity,” the entity said in a March report.
“The commissioning of the 3,330MW [of NCRE capacity] scheduled to come online in 2023 and 2024 would represent an 11-fold increase on the current wind and solar capacity … [and] the overall installed generation capacity in the country would grow 19%. However, it would represent less than a quarter of the renewable capacity goal set out in the 2050 energy plan,” SER Colombia added.
