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Remote Villages Case Study: Village PV Power in Mexico

Photo of PV system that is installed in the village of Xcalak, Mexico.

In the village of Xcalak, Mexico, PV is part of the largest hybrid generation system in the Americas. The system includes 6 wind turbines, 234 PV modules, 36 batteries, a 40-kilowatt inverter to convert dc power to ac, a diesel generator, and a sophisticated control system. As the village's electrical needs increase, the system can be expanded. (Credit: Bergey Windpower, Inc.)

For 25 years, the village of Xcalak, Mexico, a remote village on the east coast of the Yucatan peninsula, struggled to keep its diesel generators running. The people of Xcalak were dissatisfied with their diesel generators because it was expensive to ship fuel to the village and because the generators kept breaking down. Located 68 miles (110 kilometers) from the nearest utility line, this village of 350 people could not convince the utility to spend $3.2 million for a line extension. But when the villagers turned to their government, a bold new solution emerged: adding solar electric modules and wind generators to the existing diesel system to make a large hybrid power system that generates electricity reliably.

For Xcalak, there were many advantages to the hybrid system. For example, construction costs were a fraction of those required for a line extension. And fuel and maintenance expenses for the hybrid system are now lower than those for running the diesels alone. The system itself has greater generating capacity, providing more homes and businesses with electric power. And it is proving to be much more reliable than diesel generators alone, because it includes multiple backup generation devices and a larger battery bank.

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