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Las renovables invaden EE UU
Las empresas españolas se hacen con un importante hueco en el segundo mercado de nuevas energías del mundo. El avance no ha estado exento de sustos
Fernando Barciela Madrid 27 ENE 2013 - 01:22 CET
Renewables invade U.S.
Spanish companies are an important gap in the second market of new world powers. Progress has not been without its scares
Fernando Barciela Madrid 27 ENE 2013 - 01:22 CET
"In renewable Spain brand does work," says Tomas Diaz, UNEF, employers photovoltaic, referring to the U.S. market, on which the Spanish companies have been launched in block. Paraphrasing what that "every cloud has a silver lining", dozens of developers or manufacturers, heat born renewables boom in Spain, they had no choice, given the slowdown in the sector, which launched abroad. "It was clear that there was a change in cycle and had to look elsewhere," said Lars Peter, of T Solar, which is building two parks in California and Puerto Rico, with 55 megawatts at a cost of $ 160 million.
It was no coincidence the U.S. choose. Barak Obama won his first election just when the government decided to stop in Spain investments in the sector. The president arrived at the White House in 2008 promising to support strong measures to new energies. So now there is no state in the Union where no Spanish firms building or promoting solar parks or wind, or wind turbines or photovoltaic modules manufacturing. There are Iberdrola, Acciona, Gamesa, Abengoa, Gestamp, T Solar, Isofoton, Sener, Elecnor, Enertis, Quantum ... And so not testimonial. Iberdrola, with 30 wind farms, is the second largest in the country. Another fact: the five largest solar plants under construction, three are Spanish, Abengoa and ACS.
Iberdrola, who landed in 2006 by buying local companies and integrating the subsidiary of Scottish Power (PPM), manages 5700 megawatts, 10% of the national total. There is also the largest park in Texas, with 170 wind turbines. Múgica Martin, director of the division in the U.S., says that the company "grew so fast because there were many opportunities and also the Obama Administration did provide regulation, before more complex."
Obama's election victory benefits the field of new energy
U.S. remains, as electricity, a Byzantine market. And, despite expectations, the path of renewables there has not been without its surprises. Washington has set a system of incentives through tax deductions, the Production Tax Credits (PTC), but it is the States that decide whether or not to adopt renewable and what model. The most ambitious is California, solar and wind, with a target of 33% quota for electrical and penalties if you do not. Others start throwing in photovoltaics are the Sun Belt region (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico), "with radiation levels well above those of Spain", according to Mercedes Sierra, Sener Organization responsible. Another problem is that, unlike Spain, where fixed premiums for each energy (wind, solar ...), in the U.S., producers have to negotiate a sale of electric power at a price determined through a contract called Power Purchasing Agreement (PPA).
Gestamp Wind, with four wind farms in Nebraska, Maryland and Puerto Rico (176 megawatts), has planned two other, much larger, Oklahoma (764 megawatts) and Indiana (340). "Although we authorizations and interconnections," explains Javier Mateache, CEO of Gestamp Wind USA, "we can not build them until they sign a PPA." The same thing happens to Gestamp Solar, with parks in California and has another 570 megawatts planned, still do not have the PPA. "It will take four years to give them out," says Jorge Barredo, its CEO. What are the advantages? That, unlike Spain, there operators can sell electricity to anyone. "Our customers," explains Mateache, "are electric utilities, municipalities, universities or companies."
Opposition congressmen States with interests in fossil fuels in particular, has not made things easy for renewables. The plot has tax deductions until 2016, but in the wind, the PTC ended this year, and only the 31st, when he avoided the abyss called tax is extended it until 2013. The fear of an abyss of wind carried the construction of wind speed in 2012. "He added," says Múgica, "13,200 megawatts, the largest increase since forever." The problem, explained in Gamesa, "is that, not knowing what would happen, many projects were stopped, and now there's no time for them until the end of the year, causing a drop in new capacity in 2013 with respect to last year. "
States with fossil fuels resist progress 'green'
And that's not all. USA, which was a net importer, now bursting with energy. The increased production of gas, shale gas boom, prices have sunk, now says Mateache, "are five times cheaper than in Europe and seven times more than in Asia." As in many states there is no room for renewables or penalty for noncompliance, wind and photovoltaic resent the competition. This has led some firms to stop Spanish investments until the picture clears. Acciona, with seven wind farms with 627 megawatts thermal plant and a wind turbine factory in Iowa, has not scheduled investments in 2013.
Jose Castellanos, deputy Elecnor Promotion, said that "we look at the possibility of promoting photovoltaic parks there, but it is a complex market, with strong differences between States and very competitive price." Now build solar farms for other businesses in California, including one of $ 65 million for Pacific Gas & Electric. In Sener, who works in the California Mojave plant, expected momentum of the Obama Administration. "We opened the branch in 2008 to work in renewable energy, but we are now in infrastructure and want to get into space and naval issues," says Mercedes Sierra,
In Iberdrola not believe the renewables market in the U.S. is in danger. Their assets remain strong. One of them, the gas price will go up when it starts to be exported by a pipeline in Mexico, under construction. Also in Gamesa, which has sold more than 3,000 wind turbines megawatts, confident that the market picks up again in 2014. The company, which gets 24% of its revenue in the U.S., has boosted the export of wind turbines from there to Canada, Mexico or Uruguay. Nor have shown intention to renounce his American projects as Isofoton manufacturers, which recently opened a solar module plant in Ohio, or Quantum Burgos, was installed in Florida. "There will be two years of low prices, with some difficulty closing contracts," says Mujica, Iberdrola. Barredo, Gestamp Solar, is optimistic: "It may not be a very interesting market for profitability, but it is by volume, growth or recurrence. You can not not be there. "
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