Challenges and Opportunities for Implementing Sustainable Energy Strategies in Coastal Communities of Baja California Sur, Mexico
Challenges and Opportunities for Implementing Sustainable Energy Strategies in Coastal Communities of Baja California Sur, Mexico

Author: Jose Ramon Etcheverry

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 678

ISBN-13: 9780494579862

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This dissertation explores the potential of renewable energy and efficiency strategies to solve the energy challenges faced by the people living in the biosphere reserve of El Vizcaino, which is located in the North Pacific region of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. This research setting provides a practical analytical milieu to understand better the multiple problems faced by practitioners and agencies trying to implement sustainable energy solutions in Mexico. The thesis starts with a literature review (chapter two) that examines accumulated international experience regarding the development of renewable energy projects as a prelude to identifying the most salient implementation barriers impeding this type of initiatives. Two particularly salient findings from the literature review include the importance of considering gender issues in energy analysis and the value of using participatory research methods. These findings informed fieldwork design and the analytical framework of the dissertation. Chapter three surveys electricity generation as well as residential and commercial electricity use in nine coastal communities located in El Vizcaino. Chapter three summarizes the fieldwork methodology used, which relies on a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods that aim at enabling a gender-disaggregated analysis to describe more accurately local energy uses, needs, and barriers. Chapter four describes the current plans of the state government, which are focused in expanding one of the state's diesel-powered electricity grids to El Vizcaino. The Chapter also examines the potential for replacing diesel generators with a combination of renewable energy systems and efficiency measures in the coastal communities sampled. Chapter five analyzes strategies to enable the implementation of sustainable energy approaches in El Vizcaino. Chapter five highlights several international examples that could be useful to inform organizational changes at the federal and state level aimed at fostering renewable energy and efficiency initiatives that enhance energy security, protect the environment, and also increase economic opportunities in El Vizcaino and elsewhere in Mexico. Chapter six concludes the thesis by providing: a summary of all key findings, a broad analysis of the implications of the research, and an overview of future lines of inquiry.

Baja California Sur Renewable Integration Study
Baja California Sur Renewable Integration Study

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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The goal of the Baja California Sur Renewable Integration Study (BAJA-RIS) is to evaluate the potential impacts of increasing penetrations of wind and solar power on Baja California Sur's bulk power system operations. Studying the impact of wind and solar power on power system operations is interesting and challenging because of the variable and uncertain nature of wind and solar resources. Baja California Sur is a very interesting and relevant region to study renewable integration impacts because its power system is an electrical island; most of its electricity is generated by burning expensive imported fossil fuels (oil and diesel), making it the power system in Mexico with the highest electricity variable generation costs and the most polluting; its electricity consumption is expected to grow significantly; and it has significant renewable energy resource potential in terms of wind power and especially in terms of solar power.

Renewable Energy: Problems and Prospects in Coachella Valley, California
Renewable Energy: Problems and Prospects in Coachella Valley, California

Author: James B. Pick

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-02-07

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 3319515268

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The book analyzes the problems and potential of renewable energy development for the Coachella Valley of California and provides a useful case study for renewable energy feasibility assessments for other areas. A conceptual model, Integrated Policy Assessment Theory for Renewable Energy, is given and justified for renewable energy development in the Valley. Further, Central Place Theory, well known in urban geography, is discussed and it is seen to be very relevant to the understanding the Coachella Valley’s city sizes and renewable energy markets, compared to the greater Los Angeles region. The book’s research methods include geospatial mapping and analysis and interviews leaders in small innovative firms, government agencies, and nonprofits. The many findings of the book include evaluation of how the Valley’s socioeconomic and transportation features influence renewable energy development, the scope of markets for solar and wind energy in the Valley, spatial confluences of renewable energy facilities with other features, and the future potential of ground-source heat pumps. Benchmark comparison of the Coachella Valley is done with two leading wind and solar regions elsewhere in the country, to assess the Valley’s evolution and opportunities in renewable energy. The book concludes by evaluating the prospects and problems for the growth of renewable entrepreneurship, manufacturing, assembly, and operations in Coachella Valley. This leads to policy recommendations grounded in the book’s research findings, which are intended for use by governments, businesses, and nonprofits. The hope is that many of the developmental experiences from the Coachella Valley will be helpful not only within the Valley but to other communities nationwide and worldwide.