With the purpose of continuing to bet on sustainability in the palm oil sector, on the generation of clean and renewable energy, and with an investment of more than $12,000 million, the company GREMCA, Agricultura y Energía Sostenible SA, inaugurated its solar park in El Copey, Cease.
Oscar Cifuentes Vargas, general manager of GREMCA, stated that “in addition to the investment made by the company, more than 70 direct jobs were generated for the design, assembly and development of this project, which is expected to produce 2.8 MW, equivalent to 4.8 million Kw/hour per year and likewise with the use of this renewable energy we hope to reduce 3.2 tons of CO2 per year.”
“We are convinced that all the actions that the company has been carrying out: our recent biogas-based power generation plant and now the inauguration of our solar park, represent a significant contribution to the environment, aimed at preserving the future of new generations. GREMCA has a negative carbon footprint and with the entry into operation of this new plant, we are consolidating our efforts to mitigate global warming by not producing hazardous waste or toxic emissions,” said Oscar Cifuentes Vargas.
He added that “solar plants minimize the impact on air and water quality, thus preserving natural ecosystems for our environment and communities.”
“The start-up of this solar plant is very important for the GREMCA directives, because it consolidates our vision of sustainability and ensuring energy self-sufficiency for all our processes,” stressed the general manager.
He explained that this step constitutes the establishment of a matrix of available, clean and renewable energy resources, which began more than 40 years ago with the production of energy through the use of biomass, then more recently with the use of biogas and now with this solar power plant.
Cutting-edge technology in the solar plant and contribution to SDG
This solar energy plant is a large installation that uses cutting-edge technology for the generation of clean and sustainable energy and has been built on land, by direct driving, composed of a total of 5,130 modules, each with a power of 550 watts peak. .
To convert solar energy into usable electrical energy, the plant has inverters with a nominal capacity of 215 kilowatts, which reaches a total of 2.3 nominal megawatts installed.
The energy generated is destined for self-consumption by the company GREMCA, in accordance with the company’s operating requirements, which are high in the summer due to the use of irrigation systems and in the winter season, the surplus is exported to the grid.
The solar energy plant is expected to generate around 4,801,516 kilowatt hours per year. This production is equivalent to the energy consumption of approximately 3,018 homes during the same period of time.
The project, which began construction in the second half of 2023, is part of the Company’s strategic alternatives for business sustainability and contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
