Power play in Baja Commissioner spearheads development of wind energy production
From the San Diego Union Tribune:
Written by Morgan Lee, March 11, 2012
"The 28-year-old leader of the Baja California State Energy Commission is waging a sometimes lonely battle to give Mexico's northernmost state a
greater say over its production and consumption of electricity - a sector long dominated by Mexico's central government.
David Muñoz Andrade oversaw the state's pioneering, 10-megawatt wind farm in the windy high country south of Jacumba, attracting private international
developers who are planning massive investments in wind power plants over the next decade.
Muñoz grew up Tijuana and Mexicali and briefly attended elementary school in El Centro. He sees California as a leading voice for clean-energy
innovation.
Attracted to economics by the drama of Mexico's repeated currency devaluations, Muñoz has put together a team of 18 engineers and policy experts since
his appointment in 2008 as director of a fledgeling state agency for renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Upcoming projects by the energy commission include the creation of a training center for wind turbine technicians in La Rumorosa, deploying micro-grid
technology in remote off-the-grid communities, and the creation of new state standards for energy efficiency. A second, larger, publicly financed wind
farm is in the works, along with projects that can facilitate solar leases for commercial buildings.
Q: As with the oil industry, Mexico's federal government dominates most aspects of electricity generation and delivery in Mexico. Where does your
agency come into play?
A: The state commission is based on (Gov. José Guadalupe Osuna Millán's) vision for renewable energy and energy efficiency. For any state government
to be involved in power generation in Mexico, let's just say it's a hassle. No one really believed in our wind project locally or at the federal
level. The governor really had to make an effort to get the federal government's attention. It was fairly easy with President Felipe Calderón. He
loves renewable energy. But following up with other high-level officials was still difficult.
Q: What challenges does Baja California face in terms of energy efficiency?
A: Electricity subsidies in Mexico are poorly designed; they don't offer much help for those who need it most. Incentives for energy-efficient
appliances, for example, are out of reach for the elderly consumer who may get by on 500 pesos (about $40) a week. Meanwhile, we get a lot of
imported, inefficient appliances from the United States. They're not second-hand - they're third-hand. And yet that's what people can afford.
Q: Baja California and Mexico's Federal Energy Commission invested more than $26 million in La Rumorosa 1 Wind Park. What happens to proceeds from the
energy generated by the power plant's five giant turbines?
A: The return on investment goes to the community. The electricity is sold to Mexicali to offset 80 percent of the energy used for street lighting,
saving the city over $500,000 a year. The power plant's disposable annual income of $2.6 million is made available as a credit against electricity
bills and energy-efficient appliances for 35,000 impoverished families of Mexicali. Priority is given to the elderly, single mothers, low-income
families with children and the disabled. They may save up to 40 percent off their electricity bills during summer months.
Q: What other projects is your office pursuing?
A: We hope to get a grant from the Mexican government and the Inter-American Development Bank to create the first micro-grids for small, remote
communities that currently rely on diesel generators for electricity. The micro-grid would allow for the integration of cleaner energy sources such as
solar panels. The second, 50-megawatt wind farm at La Rumorosa would supply power to public buildings such as hospitals, schools and administration
buildings, both lowering their bills and reducing carbon footprints.
Q: In terms of economic development, where have you found the most success?
A: We trained and certified kids from La Rumorosa to do the operations at our wind farm. They had already attended technical schools to be
electricians, but we found one working in an Oxxo convenience store, another at a local auto mechanic shop. The other one, his family sells firewood,
so he was just selling firewood. For them, this project has really changed their lives.
From an operations standpoint, it's a handful of people that work at the wind plant. But on the manufacturing side, it's lot of people. The towers
were made in Fontana, Calif.; the turbine nacelle and equipment came from Fairless Hills, Pa.; and the blades were made by a Danish company in Grand
Forks, N.D. The civil engineering, structural and electrical engineering were done by local Baja California companies.
Q: As an economic analyst for the Osuna administration, you helped revive decades-old plans for a hydroelectric plant. Can you describe the project?
A: There aren't many rivers in Baja California, but we have a large aqueduct, the Acuaducto Río Colorado-Tijuana. The water is pumped up from the
Colorado River about 70 miles away to the Carrizo reservoir, lifting it nearly 4,000 feet above sea level to supply Tijuana, Tecate and Rosarito.The
idea is to recapture with a hydroelectric project some of the energy that is used filling the reservoir. As designed, the project would offset about
one-fourth of the energy consumed.
Q: What's the commission's relationship with California authorities?
A: A very good relationship. We have many things to learn from California, which has been a pioneer in sustainable energy. We have a memorandum of
understanding with the California Energy Commission. Several studies have been sponsored by the Washington-based Inter-American Development Bank,
USAID, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and the California Energy Commission. Those efforts have helped us formulate better policies and
programs."
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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