Sustainable energy
Programme description
Title: Sustainable energy in Mexico
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Mexico
Partner: Mexican Ministry of Energy (SENER)
Overall term: 2009 to 2017
Context
Mexico still depends strongly on fossil fuels for energy production. However, in recent years, the Mexican Government has increasingly upped its commitment to climate protection, leading to the development of policy instruments to promote energy sustainability. In 2015, Mexico passed its Energy Transition Act as part of its drive to reform energy usage. A guiding instrument in national policy, this instrument provides a roadmap for achieving targets in the following areas: sustainable energy use, improved energy productivity and reduced greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector.
Objective
The enabling conditions for raising energy efficiency and expanding the usage of renewable energies are improved.
Approach
Commissioned by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ is assisting the Mexican Government to shape the enabling environment required to promote renewable energies and energy efficiency. To this end, it is advising the Mexican Government on the design and adaptation of its regulatory provisions and standards for energy sustainability. Ongoing energy reforms have led to the rollout of Clean Energy Certificates and to the formulation of the National Electricity System Development Programme (PRODESEN).
The project identifies market barriers blocking the application of renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency and supports measures designed to overcome them, including platforms that encourage public-private dialogue. Support for expert training and accreditation comes from PROCALSOL, which is the national programme for the promotion of solar collectors in homes; from COGENERA, the national cogeneration association that acts as a discussion forum for technology promotion; and from CONOCER, Mexico’s national council for the standardisation and certification of labour competence. PROSOLAR, the promotion platform for solar energy generation, is driving forward developments on the decentralised energy market.
Qualified personnel are key to safeguarding the quality of installations, operations and maintenance in the energy efficiency and renewables sector. Therefore, the project is working with the Mexican Energy Ministry (SENER) as well as with CONOCER and other key private sector players to introduce standards to regulate the training and certification of skilled technical personnel.
The consulting firm GOPA supports the implementation of the project.
Results
With GIZ support, CONOCER has to date devised nine competence standards for technical personnel, including ones for installing photovoltaic and solar thermal systems, as well as for servicing wind power and water pumping stations. A complementary range of educational services has also been developed and market demand for skilled personnel increased.
The assessment system Sisevive-Ecocasa aims to promote sustainable housing development in Mexico by testing and evaluating building design as well as energy and water consumption to determine energy performance and environmental impact. GIZ has contributed to the development of a calculation tool for improving the energy and water efficiency of new buildings.
GIZ is working closely with Mexico’s federal energy efficiency agency CONUEE to develop a national programme for energy management. The objective is to assist Mexican companies to improve their energy productivity. Furthermore, so-called learning networks give stakeholders an opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences while GIZ is on hand to deliver methodological and technical support.