Self-Sustaining Energy

Self-sustaining energy is based on generating electricity or heating water by means of the procedures or technologies offered by the capturing of the rays of the sun or the gusts of the wind. This includes solar cells and wind generators, both of which generate electricity. Depending on the location of your building, either one system or the other will be preferable. The solar cells can be used in any solar energy system, with the goal of storing the user’s needed electricity. In order to make use of wind generators, a study of the existing wind patterns is necessary, but in Yucatán this will usually be most available on the coast. The optimum solution would be to combine wind with some solar cells, depending on the user’s needs.

For the heating of water, the most recommendable and efficient procedure is the use of flat collectors, because they are more robust and long-lasting; up to 25 years of durability, which means the initial investment is amortized in only three years, leaving 22 years of use and savings.

In addition to these basic services in the provision of energy, there are also components which continue to increase in range and new technology, such as self-sufficient solar refrigerators, as well as submergible solar diaphragm water pumps, capable of storing any water needs. These are capable of saving electric energy, as they are components which consume a great deal of power. Another option to reduce your light bill, without making any modifications to your building, is to use the latest generation of LED lights; simply substituting these for the conventional bulbs can save you up to 80% on the portion of your light bill which represents light bulbs. As well, the durability of ten years of these lights means the investment is recovered in just one year.

The CFE is cooperating with the new technology to produce electricity offering a hybrid system of connection to the grid. This type of contract consists of installing solar modules for a part of the required energy needed in the building, connected to a bi-directional meter. In the event that the electric energy required in the building is greater than what the self-sustaining system can provide, the CFE will give you the energy you need in the months with higher demand. And in the other months, given that the systems you have installed are designed to allow all of your electrical components to function at the same time, but they rarely do so, you are generating a surplus in your favor, which goes back to CFE, which you can draw on when you need it.

In a vision of either short or medium term, these new technologies will become more accessible in our daily lives, now that Mexico has passed laws which support renewable energies. It is a security for our future in this country.

For more information, contact Ing. Sergio Delgado Torres, Engineer of Renewable Energy, specialist in the systems mentioned in this article. sergiderga@hotmail.com Cel. 9999 08 62 13 or 9992 66 45 90.