Solar Panels conquer most Costa Ricans ceilings

In two years, ICE plan went from 22 to 117 facilities and there are 200 pending

Technology reduces electricity bills in homes and releases of future increases

June 01st, 2014

The decline in rainfall for hydroelectric generation has to Costa Ricans looking at the sky and pocket. Less water will make more heat energy is generated by burning diesel and bunker; which impact the cost of electricity.

However, a growing minority of users are worried less humidity. To them the sun gives them almost free electricity by using solar panels on their roofs.

"Look, two years ago our intake was such that we came receipts above ¢ 100,000. As we are now interconnected to ICE, paid ¢ 2,700 per month, the minimum" celebrates Rosibel Solano, a biologist and teacher Citadel White in San Isidro Perez Zeledon.

In July 2013, she and her husband, Mark Salazar López, 12 equivalents panels installed three kilowatts (kW) of installed capacity.

Spent nearly 5 million of colones in the team today on eaves of his house and ran because they did better conditions for investment.

Meanwhile, for the bulk of users of electricity, the threat of rate increases is the order of the day.

This 2014, the Arenal dam, largest hydroelectric plant in Costa Rica, started with one of lower bookings in the last seven years water . The cost of electricity bills and even forced some industries to explore destinations outside the country to spend part of their processes in pursuit of savings and competitiveness.

Pilot Plan. Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) now allows customers own generation plants to your network can be interconnected as part of a pilot program created in 2010.

A year later, there were 22 registered customers and the end of 2013 it amounted to 117. Earlier this year, the company processed more than 200 applications.

The growing interest in accessing this program resopnde three benefits from the installation of solar panels listed users and experts consulted.

First, the monthly bill falls as the system provides more energy than taken from the network.

Second, as the panel generates throughout the day, while there is sunlight, when consumption in the home is low, the surplus goes to the ICE network.

The Institute recognizes the contributions and results in energy credits for households taxpayers. This allows these families to continue paying the minimum amount in winter when low production of the panels.

Finally, the solar system allowing the user to get rid of rate increases caused by progressive thermal generation.

"If you have the money, do it. Reasons for this abound. If 80,000 people put a three-kilowatt system, which would not generate this fuel, "says Hugo Ruiz Villalobos, electrical engineer who installed three kW at his home in San Francisco de Heredia.

Read more: 'La Nación'