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Hybrid Energy Production Will be Key for Energy Transition

Alirio Recinos - Boussenergy
CEO

STORY INLINE POST

Thu, 11/10/2022 - 10:20

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Q: How does Boussenergy create value for its customers through its project management division?

A: Boussenergy belongs to a group of professionals that developed major energy projects in Africa's developing markets and saw the opportunity to expand to the Mexican market on the back of the 2014 Energy Reform. We create value for our clients first by providing feasible regulatory solutions, providing optimized costs by creating a real sustainable environment. This sustainability depends on the integration of feasible clean energy technologies like wind, solar, biomethane and/or natural gas.

Boussenergy is not partial to any technology. We believe that energy transitioning requires various solutions to supply optimized services. Our clients, therefore, are certain to see their infrastructure project delivered on time and at the right price for the energy they receive, boosted by a sustainable component.

Q: Why is hybrid power production the best solution to promote a faster and more sustainable energy transition?

A: There is a difference between having an energy source and round-the-clock power production. The latter means that you have 24-hour availability of your energy source. For example, a turbine or an engine fired by natural gas can operate 24/7, whereas solar power can only produce electricity when there is sunlight. By combining these technologies, the gaps can be filled while using clean and renewable energy. A successful hybrid energy project can be a combination of more than two technologies at once. 

Moreover, hydrogen will replace most fossil fuels soon enough but a proper energy transition is needed for that to happen. Right now, various types of hydrogen are available, ranging from the polluting gray to the fully renewable green hydrogen. Generating hydrogen for commercial purposes using biomethane would turn hydrogen 100 percent green, for example. Boussenergy’s goal is to be one of the major players producing green hydrogen in Mexico and we are supporting various projects to make this happen. The technology surrounding hydrogen is developing rapidly, boosting the commercial viability of this technology.

Q: What is Mexico’s potential regarding biogas production?

A: Biogas can be obtained from various sources. To ensure it is commercially viable, the country needs to identify what kind of organic producers are creating most of the organic residual waste and methane. Mexico has a great deal of potential in this regard, with dairy milk production in El Bajio and Laguna, for example. Boussenergy’s current estimate is that the total production of this waste could generate more than 500MW of energy. We are developing the first biogas project of this kind in the Bajio area, where the company captures all the methane coming from the dairy milk producers as well as organic waste, which we inject into a gas pipeline. Once it has entered the gas transportation system, the biogas can be sold to big international companies, players that are also looking to become more sustainable. More importantly, having a local energy source controlled by us during the whole process provides clients the advantage of obtaining optimized fuel at a more stable price.

Q: How does Boussenergy’s first project, the Salma Power Plant, highlight the benefits of hybrid power production? 

A: Back in 2018, Salma was designed to operate in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz. The hybrid design, which is also backed by solar energy, includes underground natural gas storage in depleted salt caverns that, via a proper procedure, can be sealed completely to store large amounts of natural gas. When Boussenergy engineered Salma, the project was designed to operate fully with its storage, reducing expensive storage costs by 40 percent. This adds further depth to an already interesting hybrid project.

Q: How does energy storage provide added value to renewable energy systems?

A: So far, storage has been focused on one or two technologies. Combined with solar power, storage has leaned toward lithium battery storage. Another optimized solution exists on the market: sodium batteries, which cost only 30 percent of the cost of lithium batteries. Lithium also has the disadvantage of not being a renewable resource, whereas widely available sodium could also be used to create battery storage systems (BESS). This is a  development that Tesla is looking into as well. Technology for storage has been developing rapidly, driving down the CAPEX to combine it with renewable sources and making its application much more viable.

Q: How is Boussenergy implementing BESS into its project development? 

A: The company engineers all its projects on a case-by-case basis. If the company requires constant power but needs it to be completely clean, we might combine solar power from panels on the roof with a level of local storage so that companies can use and produce more energy than they require during the day and use what is stored later. 

From 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., the cost of energy in Mexico is almost three times as expensive as during the day. Therefore, if companies store power during these two hours, they will not only up their daily renewable energy use from five hours to seven hours but also significantly decrease their operating costs during the night. This is the main argument for storage across Mexico.  

Q: What are Boussenergy’s goals for the end of this year?  

A: Our main goal is to grow as one of the most optimized energy producers in the market. We will continue to integrate solutions and ensure they become economically viable for clients. All these efforts toward decarbonization processes will allow us to become a key contributor to global sustainability. Boussenenergy believes that green energy is possible as long as companies commit to commercially viable projects. 

 

Boussenergy is a Mexican company founded in 2017 that specializes in hybrid power production, project management and energy trading as a qualified supplier.

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