The Rocky Mountain Institute, the Institute of Lawyers for the Protection of the Environment, and the National Committee to Fight Climate Change yesterday proposed to the government the implementation of a plan for the transition to solar energy that frees the country from dependence on fossil fuels.
Maximiliano Lainfiesta, representative of the Rocky Mountain Institute and who acted as spokesman, said that his proposal consists of the installation of 600 megawatts of solar energy, with an investment of US$650 million, by placing solar panels on the roofs of public buildings, industries, companies, and residences.
He explained that with that amount of megawatts, about 5% of the country’s energy would be produced in a year.
It is recalled that the Association for the Promotion of Renewable Energies (ASOFER) and the National Council for the Promotion and Support of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (Promipyme) signed a cooperation agreement to allow MSMEs to install solar energy projects.
This was revealed by the president of Asofer, Carlos Grullón, who stressed that these loans would be soft and have a limit of up to RD$7 million.
ASOFER directors highlighted that today the installation cost is 1,000 dollars per kilowatt.
After the pandemic, the prices of machinery and equipment increased due to the costs of metals, labor, and logistics.
Grullón said that despite this price increase, investment in solar energy projects recovers in three or four years; that is, it continues to be profitable before it took six or seven years.
The secretary of Asofer, Marvin Fernández, said that it is a unique investment and the solar panels have a production guarantee of more than 25 years.
“It is a highly profitable investment, and for this reason, 8,500 distribution clients have solar energy.
In addition, they always produce energy because our country is on the same path as the sun,” he said.