Colombia’s PV capacity tops 4.58 GW, with 1.19 GW under testing

Colombia has recorded 4,580.89 MW of solar capacity, according to the tracking dashboard for the Mining and Energy Planning Unit’s (UPME) “6GW+” program. Solar accounts for virtually all of the new renewable capacity registered under the government initiative.

Of the total solar capacity, 3,386.22 MW comes from operational installations, while 1,194.67 MW comes from projects undergoing testing. As a result, about one-quarter of the recorded solar capacity has not yet entered full commercial operation.

In total, the UPME has recorded 4,654.31 MW of solar, wind and small-scale hydropower capacity added since August 2022. Solar represents just over 98% of that volume, compared with 41 MW of wind capacity under testing and 32.42 MW of hydropower capacity, including 12.02 MW in operation and 20.4 MW under testing.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy said that, as of July 17, the combined capacity of solar and wind projects stood at 4,626.73 MW. Together, the two technologies account for 19.23% of the installed capacity in Colombia’s National Interconnected System.

The metric includes more than utility-scale projects connected to the grid or plants that have already entered commercial operation. It also covers projects under testing, distributed generation, small- and large-scale self-generation facilities, and installations in non-interconnected zones.

According to the UPME, the 6GW+ program includes 3,283.70 MW of utility-scale renewable projects, 575.94 MW of large-scale self-generation, 224.94 MW of distributed generation and 569.73 MW of small-scale self-generation. A further 13.89 MW comes from installations in non-interconnected zones.

The ministry said Colombia had about 200 MW of combined solar and wind capacity in August 2022. Since then, the expansion of solar plants has accounted for nearly all growth in the two technologies, while wind development has remained limited by delays to planned projects, mainly in La Guajira.

The 6GW+ program aims to deliver at least 6 GW of combined solar, wind and small-scale hydropower capacity between August 2022 and August 2026. With 4,654.31 MW currently registered, roughly 1.35 GW still needs to be added to meet the target.

The ministry said future efforts will focus on accelerating the entry of new renewable projects, expanding transmission infrastructure, and promoting energy storage, energy communities and self-generation. The additional infrastructure will be needed to integrate solar capacity currently under testing as well as projects still under construction.