Por ese motivo y con apoyo del IFC, la compañía pretende desarrollar empresas locales que produzcan a pequeña escala energía suficiente para dotar de electricidad a las poblaciones bolivianas más desprotegidas, explicó Julio Patiño, coordinador de proyectos en el Área de Energías Renovables de IFC.
Así fue como en abril de 2008, IFC contrató los servicios de la empresa 3tier Group para sumar a Bolivia al proyecto ‘Remaping the World’ con un mapa eólico de todo el territorio. El proyecto costó a la Corporación poco más de 200.000 dólares, mismos que se otorgaron bajo el esquema de recursos no reembolsables. La idea es que una vez que el sector privado se anime a invertir en plantas generadoras de electricidad a partir del viento, recurra al IFC para pedir financiamiento y adquirir aerogeneradores.
El mapa eólico boliviano combinará tecnología de punta con una serie de fuentes de información meteorológica, información de fuentes fotométricas, fotografías del espacio sobre lo que se quiere estudiar, datos topográficos y de los ecosistemas. Estos se someten a un procesamiento para obtener un panorama general de la zona. Cada segmento de información estará dispuesto a manera de láminas que, superpuestas, darán un todo. "No es una información muy fina pero sí muy aproximada de las condiciones eólicas en todo el país", aclaró Patiño.
Con una resolución de 2 kilómetros, el mapa de Bolivia presentará las condiciones eólicas a 20, 40, 60 y 80 metros de altura. Para generar energía a pequeña escala se requiere de torres no mayores a 40 metros de altura. Para uso industrial, sin embargo, la infraestructura requerida es como máximo 80 metros de altura. Cabe aclarar que una resolución que oscila entre los 2 y los 6 km aún es poco precisa para tomar la decisión de invertir en determinada región o no.
A pesar de estos límites, el IFC se muestra bastante optimista con el proyecto, pues además de los estudios de las condiciones climatológicas, ambientales e incluso urbanísticas bolivianas, el plan contempla también incluir el mapa solar del país. Éste mapa se desarrolló a principios de los 90 con apoyo de capital alemán. "Se tendrá la posibilidad de accesar a la página web de 3tier Group, detallar la localización del lugar que interese estudiar y obtener una serie de combinaciones de información de acuerdo a lo que se necesite", dijo el coordinador del proyecto.
En 2002, la compañía eléctrica Grupo Unión Fenosa vendió la totalidad de la participación que tenía de Transportadora de Electricidad a Red Eléctrica de España. Cinco años atrás, TDE había sido privatizada por el gobierno boliviano para, después someterla a concurso internacional. Fenosa Internacional obtuvo 69%, la sociedad local Mercurio (que forma parte de Grupo Garafulic) se quedó con 20%, SCH Grupo Industrial con 10% de las acciones y el 1% restante estuvo en manos de los trabajadores. La transacción fue de $2,129 millones de dólares.
Por su parte, Red Eléctrica de España fue la primer empresa que se dedicó exclusivamente al transporte de energía eléctrica. Además de poseer 99% de la red española de transporte de electricidad, a través de la filial Red Eléctrica Internacional la empresa sostiene operaciones en países como Bolivia y Perú. Entre sus planes a mediano plazo está ingresar al mercado de Europa del Este, Latinoamérica y el Mediterráneo.
La industria eléctrica boliviana comprende la generación, transmisión, distribución, comercialización, importación y exportación de electricidad, la oferta de elctricidad está basada en centrales de generación hidroeléctrica y termoeléctrica. La energía elétrica se desarrlla principalmente a través del Sistema Interconectado Nacional, SIN en el cual están integrados los princiapales centros de producción consumo de los departamentos de La Paz, Cochabamba, Oruro, Potosí, Chuquisaca y Santa Cruz y abarca cerca del 90 por ciento del mercado nacional, adicionalmente se cuenta con pequeños sistemas aislados con características diversas en las ciudades y poblaciones menores que cubren el restan 10 por ciento del mercado eléctrico nacional con en Departamento de Pando. Las redes de distribución del conjunto de los distribuidores en el SIN crecieron de 18.600 km a 26.000 km.
Además en el año 2006 se empezó a exportar a países vecinos como Paraguay, Perú, Chile, Argentina y Brasil ya que se han creado más centrales hidroeléctricas que pueden satisfacer la demanda de las ciudades limítrofes del país.
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3TIER Announces Contract with IFC to Prepare 2 km Wind Map of Bolivia
Contract will complement “REmapping the World™” Initiative to identify global wind and solar energy resources
3TIER today announced a contract with IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, to develop and release a 2 km wind map for Bolivia. This contractual effort complements 3TIER’s ongoing “REmapping the World™” initiative. When it is completed later this year, the Bolivia wind map will be available for public view online and will identify the locations, availability and accessibility of the country’s wind resources. It is expected that availability of reliable resource data will help stimulate further development of wind as an energy option for a nation with a largely undeveloped wind resource and a significant rural electrification challenge.
The contract has been initiated as part of an ongoing partnership between IFC and Transportadora de Electricidad S.A. (TDE), Bolivia’s largest electricity transmission company and a recipient of IFC financing. Under its corporate social responsibility program, TDE, a subsidiary of the Spanish grid operator Red Electrica de España, is exploring the development of renewable energy resources to supply off-grid electricity and other energy services to isolated rural communities in the footprint of its high voltage transmission lines throughout Bolivia.
“By providing free access to high-resolution wind maps, 3TIER’s work in Bolivia will enable communities, government agencies, and developers to evaluate how effectively wind can contribute to meeting community power needs,” said Kenneth Westrick, 3TIER CEO and founder. “If we want developing nations to fully utilize their indigenous resources and to help mitigate global climate change, they need better information about their renewable energy resources.
“Bolivia is positioned perfectly to do this,” Westrick added. “The country has roughly 70 percent of its rural population off the grid and is faced with growing power demands. Bolivia is known to have regions with significant wind potential and this wind map will complete the critical first step for government agencies, electric cooperatives, developers or other entities seeking opportunities to invest in wind energy.”
IFC is committed to developing strategies that help improve and accelerate electricity access for rural communities. As part of its core development focus and climate change strategy, IFC seeks to help clients expand access to energy services in the developing world by using renewable energy wherever feasible. In support of TDE, IFC is expanding its role in renewable energy technologies, as a part of innovative off-grid solutions in Bolivia. At present, there are no commercial wind projects in Bolivia. IFC’s contract with 3TIER to produce a national wind map is expected to help stimulate future development of wind power projects.
“As global demand for energy grows and prices of fossil fuels increase, developing renewable energy resources locally becomes more vital to sustainable development,” said Rashad Kaldany, IFC Director for Infrastructure. “Access to energy is critical to alleviating poverty, and IFC aims to accelerate its investments in renewable energy in developing nations.”
“TDE’s view is that renewable energy sources can play a key role in the development of effective and sustainable stand alone energy services throughout Bolivia,” according to TDE´s Manager of Engineering Services, Miguel Aramayo. “Our sponsorship and support, together with IFC, for the development of Bolivia’s first ever meso-scale wind map, is a clear signal of our intention to continue our efforts in support of renewable energy based initiatives, and the development of new technologies that can help provide energy services reliably and cost-effectively to remote rural communities.”
3TIER unveiled its complementary REmapping the World initiative in March by launching the first-ever, global 15 km resolution wind map, available to view for free on the Internet. The map provides enough resolution so countries and organizations can determine the potential wind resource at a regional level and determine what type of policies should be implemented to encourage renewable energy development.
Developers generally need 2 to 5 km resolution view to make capital investments in commercial wind development. Currently, 3TIER’s FirstLook™ Assessment tool provides a 5 km map for wind in the U.S., Canada and Mexico and a 10 km solar map for the continental United States.
FirstLook provides a fast, cost-effective, Web-based assessment of wind resources. “FirstLook Assessment is a proven, highly accurate tool that eliminates that costly, timeconsuming first step of prospecting for wind or solar resources – and delivers a report in PDF form via the Internet within minutes,” Westrick said.
Westrick said 3TIER decided to map the world at its own cost “because we strongly believe that information about renewable energy resources will give people the power to make better decisions regarding the assessment, implementation and operation of renewable energy projects.”
Over the next 18 months, 3TIER plans to continue to map the world for wind at 5 km, country by country, based upon a priority order that takes into account such issues as renewable energy policies, availability of the wind resource and economic development status. “Communities in developing countries finally will have – at little or no cost – the information to help them decide whether renewable energy can power their communities,” Westrick said.
“These maps will help leaders and developers throughout the world assess their renewable energy potential and make important policy and economic decisions as a result.” To learn more about the global mapping initiative visit www.remappingtheworld.com.
ABOUT 3TIER
Founded in 1999, Seattle-based 3TIER is one of the largest independent providers of wind, solar and hydro energy assessment and power forecasting worldwide. People around the world turn to 3TIER when they want the best scientific information to make decisions about renewable energy projects — from the prospecting stage to operations.
ABOUT IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, fosters sustainable economic growth in developing countries by financing private sector investment, mobilizing private capital in local and international financial markets, and providing advisory and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments. IFC’s vision is that people should have the opportunity to escape poverty and improve their lives. In FY07, IFC committed $8.2 billion and mobilized an additional $3.9 billion through syndications and structured finance for 299 investments in 69 developing countries. IFC also provided advisory services in 97 countries. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.
ABOUT TDE
Headquartered in Cochabamba, TDE is Bolivia’s principal power transmission company. It presently owns and operates most of Bolivia’s high voltage transmission network, including the principal interconnected network and two secondary systems in the north and south of the
country. In addition to its support for wind development, TDE’s ongoing actions include work designed to develop a series of small-scale, run-of-the-river, hydroelectric power systems, promotion of self-charging LED lanterns, dissemination of small-scale solar household systems, and the substitution of inefficient wood stoves with high efficiency units. TDE is a subsidiary of the Spanish grid operator Red Electrica de España.
www.hidrocarburos.gov.bo/vmeea/mapas/mapa_eolicos1.pdf
www.3tiergroup.com/en/news-events/files/FINAL_3Tier%20IFC%20TDE%20Press%20Release.pdf
