Panama generates electricity from renewable sources of energy

Panama's Energy Secretariat informed on Sunday that the country achieved an electricity generation exclusively from renewable sources, covering the internal demand of 1,437 Megawatts (MW).
 
 
According to the press release, an exportable surplus of 226.47 MW was produced to supply the deficit of other regional countries.

On the press briefing, authorities specified that the current energy generation is made up of 83.35 percent of hydroelectric power plants namely 1,361.13 MW, 11.43 percent of solar energy reaching 186.62 MW and 5.22 percent of wind energy amounting to 85.29 MW.

“This merge, based on the natural resources available in the country, facilitates to maintain a stable power grid with the capacity to respond to variations in demand,” the press release added.

According to Juan Manuel Urriola, Secretary of Energy, Panama shows how with proper energy planning in the short term a country can cover its energy demand cleanly and at a lower cost, taking advantage of renewable sources and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

“Panama is in a position to contribute to the region’s energy security without compromising its own supply, being an example of efficiency in the use of our renewable resources,” Urriola assured.

In addition to meeting local demand, Panama has a rolling reserve of 186.33 MW, which reinforces the reliability of the system and ensures a rapid response in case of fluctuations in energy consumption.

That reserve allows the nation to keep up a stable supply and concurrently it offers support to other Central American electricity systems, being both one of the pioneers and pillars of regional energy integration, the official remarked.