Customized Solar Energy in Valle del Cauca

April 28, 2023. Valle del Cauca continues to be a leader in the construction of sun-based power generation projects. After Celsia built the country’s first large-scale solar plant in Yumbo six years ago, the company has developed large and small projects for residential and business customers. It has met customized needs and brought competitiveness to companies that create jobs and development in the region, as well as to universities and clinics, and residential projects that provide well-being and quality of life to households.

• To date, Celsia has completed six large-scale solar projects built in Yumbo, Candelaria, Zarzal, Tuluá, Palmira and Buga. Together they have a capacity of 59.4 MW. It also has other solar plants under development in Palmira, La Victoria and Andalucía, some of which will deliver energy to the National Interconnected System (SIN, for the Spanish original), providing another 79.5 MW of renewable energy.
• Additionally, there are other, smaller-capacity developments. These are installed on floors or roofs of different types of customers. Of these, some 40 customized solutions have been put into operation in Cali, Palmira, Jamundí, Yumbo, Tuluá, Candelaria, Restrepo, Yotoco and Buga. In total, they add up to about 9 MW.

The customers of all these solar developments (plants, floors and roofs) include:

• Companies such as: Postobón, Colombina, Cargill, Levapan, Flor Suprema, Amcor, La Zona Franca de Palmaseca, Soya, Grasas, Tecnoquímicas, Smurfit Kappa, Alúmina, El Tabloide, Avícola Santa Anita and Década10, among others.
• The universities Autónoma –the first customer and which did the first pilot with Celsia– San Buenaventura and Icesi.
• And other customers such as: Residential units, clinics (Vida and Visual y Auditiva in Cali) and the CIAT (Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture) –one of the world’s most important agricultural research centers– among others.

Finally, Celsia is finishing up the installation of the solar roofs for the first massive public housing project to be delivered with this kind of service included, in Roldanillo. There are 110 housing solutions for families in strata 1, 2 and 3 being developed by the construction company Inverfin Asociados.