El Salvador Inaugurates First Hybrid Power Plants Combining Hydroelectric and Photovoltaic Energy - SolarQuarter
El Salvador Inaugurates First Hybrid Power Plants Combining Hydroelectric and Photovoltaic Energy - SolarQuarter
CECSA, a subsidiary of the National Electrical Transmission Entity (ENTE), has inaugurated El Salvador’s first hybrid power plants combining hydroelectric and photovoltaic energy production. The plants are located in San Matías, La Libertad, and San Luis, Santa Ana, with a combined capacity of 5.1 MW feeding into the national electrical grid.
The CECSA San Matías hybrid plant has an installed capacity of 4.9 MW, comprising 4.1 MW from hydroelectric power and 785 kWp from photovoltaic sources. The CECSA San Luis plant contributes 700 kW from hydroelectric power and 300 kW from photovoltaic energy. A total of 1,500 bifacial monocrystalline photovoltaic panels have been installed across both sites.
With an investment of $1.6 million, these projects are set to provide electricity to over 14,000 homes.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: hydropower
Hydropower — electricity generated by turbines capturing energy from moving water — was for many years the primary contributor of renewable energy to the U.S. electricity grid. Its growth was rapid into the 1970s, and since then has offered a stable supply of power, while a declining share of all generation. For many years, hydropower was seen as clean energy and an unalloyed good, but a greater understanding of the impact of dams on ecosystems and wildlife has led to the removal of some dams. As of 2019, hydropower trails wind as a renewable source of power generation.