La Faculty of Engineering, in conjunction with the Energy Institute[Organization Name] organized a webinar to discuss the advantages and challenges of renewable energy with professionals. The event was moderated by [Moderator's Name]. Mag. Roberto Carnicer, director of the Institute and of the Energy area of the FI.
Ing. Miguel BalcarceRegional Business Development Manager at Sany Renewable Energy, presented the challenges of wind energy in Latin America.
Miguel began his presentation by addressing the objective of COP28* (Abu Dhabi): this proposes Triple installed renewable energy capacity by 2030, meaning install an annual average of 1000 GW+ of renewables. The biggest growth in this type of energy today is in solar and wind power. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to increase investment from $570 billion in 2023 to $1550 billion annually between 2024 and 2030 (according to IRENA). The goal of COP28* is to mitigate and reduce carbon dioxide emissions in order to lower the global temperature.
The graph shows the growth of wind energy over the last 20 years
What growth was there in wind energy in the last year? In 2023, 116.6 GW of wind power was installed, most of it in Asia Pacific (mainly in China), followed by Europe, North America, Latin America and lastly Africa and the Middle East.
La intermittence It's a challenge, a particular characteristic of renewable energies. When the percentage of renewable energies in an energy mix begins to increase, challenges arise within the system and in how to operate it.
Furthermore, the transmission infrastructure It must be planned well in advance, as it often takes longer than the construction of a wind farm. It increases energy generation. but not the transmission capacity. These problems are impacting energy prices: today prices are 50% higher than in 2022. Moreover, this means there are fewer players in the industry. Higher prices and fewer players.
Low energy density: Renewable energy projects occupy a lot of space, and when they expand, the environmental impacts on each community must be considered through proper land management. Furthermore, technology The material used for wind energy is expensive, which creates a challenge in terms of profitability, quality, and sustainability.
Mag. Nicolás Eliaschev, Partner at Tavarone Rovelli Salim & Miani, in charge of the Energy and Administrative Law areas, He spoke about the regulatory challenges for renewables in Argentina today.
Laws and regulations determine the structure of a business and influence its revenues and costs. Therefore, For there to be a driving force behind renewable development, state support, cost reduction, technological progress, and a market with low capital costs and clear rules are needed. In this regard, it is expected that macroeconomic stabilization will be consolidated, as well as the normalization of foreign trade. All these signals from the government regarding the macroeconomy must be accompanied by microeconomic decisions, with regulations that support private investment and ensure undistorted competition.
Path to a possible development
“Renewable energies need regulatory standards and market mechanisms that allow industry players to make the necessary investments under conditions of legal certainty,” the specialist shared Eliaschev. Furthermore, he shared an optimistic view on the development of these energy sources: "They will be a central protagonist in developing our country and contributing to the energy transition and a more sustainable energy matrix."
Finally, the Eng. Diego Werner, Technical director at AIRES RENEWABLES, addressed the issue
The Lhey 27.191 The renewable energy law was passed in 2015 and regulated in early 2016, which opened up a series of possibilities: Generate renewable energy purchases between consumers and generators privately, without state intervention, and self-generate energy, either on-site or in another geographical location.
The fastest growing sector today is the futures market, which allows large users to enter into contracts with generators privately. “Currently, there is more demand for renewable energy than supply.”Werner shared. The supply is regulated by the limited transport capacity available and, on the other hand, by financing costs.
Evolution of contracts in the futures market during the last few years 
Regarding state support for renewable energy, in 2023 the National Energy Secretariat opened the first tender known as RenMDI, in which 98 winning projects were awarded that will be able to enter into contracts for the supply of electricity generated by renewable sources (www.argentina.gob.ar) among which only one is solar-powered and one is wind-powered.
To conclude his presentation, Werner highlighted that Argentina has great potential as an energy exporter, especially of hydrogen.
To learn more about renewable energy, we invite you to explore the Postgraduate programs in the Energy area of the Faculty of Engineering: https://www.austral.edu.ar/ingenieria/ingenieria-posgrados/encontra-tu-programa/energia/
