Differences between Minae and ARESEP by solar initiatives concern to entrepreneurs

Ministry consulted to the PGR for detail distributed generation

Acesolar is looking for Minae take the 'singing voice' in the subject

April 21st,2015

Energy sector entrepreneurs expressed worries, they said uncertainty and demanded a delay in setting interconnection tariffs for solar distributed generation.

In February, the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) closed the pilot distributed generation solar energy that worked for five years. This decision, according to the sector, knocked out 'movement' pending rates and policies definitions.

"The pilot of the ICE is what causes the growth of this industry in the country. There are almost a thousand jobs related to this industry, when the plan is withdrawn from the market waiting for the Regulatory Authority for Public Services (Aresep) and the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minae) resolve the issue of regulation, is where all the companies were in limbo and a timeout, unable to practically sell, "said Fernando Ortuño, Green Energy Company and a member of the Association of Solar Energy of Costa Rica (Acesolar).

With the cessation, ICE began to reject applications by firms and households who wanted to implement this technology. Added to this, the sector still lacks regulations to operate as it is pending Regulation Planning, Operation and System Access National Energy (Poasen), which regulates distributed generation in the chapter on solar energy.

"That's where friction begin to emerge, so to speak, between ARESEP and Minae. We are at the point that the ministry was consulting the Attorney General's Office if distributed generation is a public service or not (...) If the PGR said that distributed generation is a public service revokes the Poasen, which is the regulation that defines distributed generation in the country. That would take an even greater backwardness "defended Ortuño.

Minister request

Last week, Edgar Gutiérrez, chief of Minae, told this newspaper that sent a second letter in pursuit of ARESEP accept a change in the Poasen regulation that allows the development of such projects.

"It will govern energy concession or permit. We, through Acesolar, we are trying to Minae be the decision maker and know that distributed generation you need is a permit In a house who will want to opt for a concession to install four or six panels? It really becomes innacesible by the step of requesting a concession to the ministry, "rebuked the employer.

ARESEP Act, Article 9 provides that an authorization certificate is required. It can be a license, permit or authorization to do with Poasen is the Minae which you define the characteristics of those licenses or permits.

"The regulatory authority shall not participate in any moment of this pilot project that drove the ICE. Even operated during the beginning of the validity of the regulation Poasen issued and valid for one year (...) The regulator what you foresee is that the technical provisions are met, companies are required to analyze what interested customers are in distributed distribution and sale of surplus, "said Carolina Mora, spokeswoman ARESEP.

Later this month the respective hearings for tariff setting will be made.

Source:'crhoy.com'