| Our Successes in Mexico In Mexico, our work centers around the use of solar and wind electricity to pump water, and increase the productivity of small ranches and farms beyond the electrical grid. We began collaborating with Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) on its Mexico Renewable Energy Program (MREP) in 1994. Since that time, we have focused primarily on the Protected Areas Management (PAM) component of the program, designed to catalyze renewable energy projects with partner conservation organizations (the Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, and World Wildlife Fund), while simultaneously establishing healthy market conditions for renewable energy, through training and local vendor development activities. To date, Enersol and a team of five local conservation and development organizations successfully installed 21 systems in the state of Chiapas, in three protected ecological reserve areas. Another 14 systems are near completion, with 6 additional organizations participating. These systems serve as demonstration sites for buffer zone communities, as well as training sites for local organizations and renewable energy vendors. Local groups have shown an increased ability and willingness to utilize renewable energy as an electrification option in reserve management and development activities, evidenced by the increasing number of additional projects they are pursuing, with SNL or independently. 1998: Productive Uses In 1997, Enersol was asked to increase its participation in MREP, by leading a renewable energy initiative in the state of Oaxaca. The goal was to replicate MREP's successes in the northern states of Chihuahua, Sonora and Baja California Sur, and promote the incorporation of renewable energy in "productive use" projects, principally cattle watering for ranchers and community water supplies. Enersol worked closely with SNL's partner, FIRCO (Shared Trust Fund, a technical branch of the Secretary of Agriculture), to determine how to include renewable energy projects in some of Oaxaca's current programs, such as Alianza para el Campo. In March 1998, 3 PV water pumping systems were successfully installed, representing the first project of its kind to be approved by Alianza. Since then, Enersol has identified 10 additional opportunities in strategic locations around the state: 7 for cattle watering and 3 for micro-irrigation of garden plots in marginalized areas. And, we have worked with FIRCO to provide additional staff and training to engineers and ranchers. 1999/2000 Activities Our work in Oaxaca continued into 1999, as we provided additional support for an expanded roster of renewable energy projects. As in our other projects, Enersol acted as a team member, leveraging resources and improving overall effectiveness. During 1999 and early 2000, Enersol's participation in several new water pumping projects increased productivity in rural sectors, through livestock watering and micro-irrigation for high value crops. |
