Colombia issues legislation for self-consumption

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The government of Colombia has published the Decreto 348 del 1 de marzo de 2017, a new piece of legislation to support the installation of small and medium-sized renewable energy and solar power generators across the country.

The new regulations will apply to renewable energy power generators with a capacity of up to 100 kW and will simplify all the procedures to connect a system to the grid and to sell its excess power to the local market.

Under the new legislation, the local regulator Comisión de Regulación de Energía y Gas (CREG) will be compelled to establish a clear time frame for when new array can be installed and will have to define simplified procedures for both grid-connection and the sale of surplus electricity.

The new law also eliminates the obligation for PV system operators to have a back-up contract for their projects. Furthermore, the grid operator will only be allowed to deny the authorization for the grid-connection  “in case of proven technical reasons.”

CREG is expected to define the new remuneration mechanism for the sale of excess power in the near future.

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CREG added that it also intends to make it easier to install renewable energy and PV systems with a power of up to 1 MW.

Colombia is turning to solar and renewables in order to diversify its electricity mix, which is largely dependent on hydropower. Not a single PV system exceeding 1 MW has been installed in the country to date. The largest PV installations are commercial systems with a capacity of hundreds of kilowatts. A 3 MW PV plant being built by local glass producer Tecnoglass, however, is set to be completed by March of this year. Furthermore, the company Celsia has started construction on a 10 MW project last month.

Translated by Emiliano Bellini. Original, in Spanish, here.

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