ENERGY PRODUCTION VIA BIODIGESTERS IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
SANTO DOMINGO. Energy production based on manure and animal waste is already a reality in Dominican Republic, which to this date counts on a capacity of 1.5 megawatts, distributed among 17 farms that benefit from the droppings of its animals to generate electricity, cheapen costs and avoid environmental problems.
Electricity from waste is posible with the instalation of a biodigester that produces a biogas (methane) from animals waste. Then the fuel is taken to a generator that is prepared to generate electricity with the gas produced.
"There's a projection of 1.5 megawatts of electricity. Evidently, depending on the species, you have species that have more energy capacity than others "You also have the laying project, the poultry project, you have the pigs project and you have the beef cattle project also", explained Miguel Lajara, CEO of Sanut, an animal health and nutrition products supplier, while participating in Dialogo Libre.
Lajara, who was also accompanied by the president of the National Energy Comission [CNE – Comisión Nacional de Energía], Enrique Ramirez y Wilfredo Familia, livestock producer, who has well benefited from the biodisgesters systems at his farms, stated that this projects bring a solution on the environmental subject beacuse of it's costs savings in the energetic factor and, besides, create competitivity.
The CNE director sees this oportunity with a broader sense and considered that the production of energy from waste also should be a project that might be harnessed by the municipalities with all the garbage they gather.
"Hopefully, sooner than later, with the municipalities we may process that garbage. We have the example of Moca with the issue of the landfill, when there is a polygon that may reunite Moca, Macoris, La Vega and Santiago itself and make an amazing electric production plant and solve the solid waste problem in that area", he highlighted.
Ramirez, who remembered that the National Energy Comission only has been a facilitating body in the execution of waste-based energy production projects in the country. He considered that with the amount of garbage produced in Dominican Republic, a similar solution to that of the farmers might be found, that lowers the environmental impact and is able to produce energy.
"That's why I qualify this kind of projects, one is always acustomed to see investments in the energy sector, now we are immersed as a country in a 600 megawatts plant, in a system of 2100 megawatts, 2200 megawatts, and when you talk about two hundred and many kilos, people may not pay attention but this is what we qualify, at the National Energy Comission, as little big things", expressed the staff member when speaking about this projects.
Government grants incentives to produce clean energy
The director of th National Energy Comission, Enrique Ramirez, highlighted that the government will continue to incentivize this kind of renewable energy projects. He stated that this producers are benefiting from this incentives that allows them the exemption of taxes when importing parts and equipment required for the instalation of self-generation projects. He pointed that the CNE launched a resolution that states that the General Directorate of Customs [DGA - Dirección General de Aduanas] exempts tax paying to renewable energy production plants.
He considers oil from Azua hardly feasible in DR
In relation with the possibilities that the country has of benefiting from some oil findings in Azua, the director of the National Energy Comission, Enrique Ramirez, considered that in economic terms it is unfeasible.
"We have taken samples, for instance, of the same oil, from the liquid emanations found in that area of Charco Largo, it has been tested but there is a high level of component that makes it, in economic terms, kind of unfeasible. However, he thinks that we should remain hopeful.
Light may not be shared with Haiti
Nearly 11 months after the National Energy Comission and the Ministry of Energetic Security of Haiti [Ministerio de Seguridad Energética de Haití] signed an agreement to coordinate the studies that allowed to interconnect both countries electric systems, Ramirez informed that the project hasn't found support from multilateral entities. For this and many other reasons, the staff member understands that there are no glimpses of this even in the long term.
The photovoltaic plant in Monte Plata is almost 40% completed
In regards to the photovoltaic project, the director of th National Energy Comission, Enrique Ramirez, pointed that it is a 30 megawatts project which is close to 40% completed.
"It's Stunning. Everyone can go by Monte Plata and watch the amount of pegs already in place. There is even some pannels deployed. "It's a project that is planned to be completed mid 2014, and it would be the biggest solar project in Central America and the Caribbean." he stated.
The public official considered that with this project, the country's leadership, which it has since the last two years, of being the biggest renewable energy producer of the Caribbean, is reaffirmed. "We bolster the leadership that we had in the year 2013 of being the country that went up more steps in the Latin American WeatherScope ranking. We climbed 8 steps", specified Ramirez during his participation in this newspaper's Dialogo Libre.
Even though Dominican Republic has several photovoltaic projects, this one in Monte Plata, in which was estimated an investment of US$150 millions, promises to be the most important. The project that will work with 198.000 solar pannels, also aims to reduce, by more than 200 tons, the emission of carbon dioxide.
The public officer stated that renewable energies have a great future in the country and this finishing year, the investments have grown systematically, despite that in the last tax amendment lowered the incentives that this sector had for changing its energetic matrix, in order to be more sustainable.
Original Source: http://www.diariolibre.com/destacada/2013/12/09/i414355_una-realidad-energa-partir-del-estircol-repblica-dominicana.html
