Modelado del potencial fotovoltaico del estado de Chihuahua

Abstract

Global energy demand has been growing along time to support social and economical development, while leading to increase emissions of green house gasses (GHG), such as carbon dioxide (CO2). Replace or support electrical power generation facilities based on fossil fuels with renewable energy options, such as solar photovoltaic technology, would decrease emissions of GHG, thus it would help to minimize the effects of climate change, and furthermore, would assist in the development of city and rural communities. Mexico, located within a region with a very high solar radiation (Sunbelt), is a very attractive country for photovoltaic installations, being that Chihuahua is one of the states with higher radiation, however given its vast area; it has required a more detailed study to identify the highest photovoltaic potential zones. In this research it was built a geoprocessing model using ArcGIS® 10.2.1 software. The model was able to clearly identify and classify 8,660 km2 of highly photovoltaic potential areas, in perspective, Chihuahua State would require only 23.74 km2 of them to fully meet its electrical generation demand, this reflects the abundance of the natural resource on Chihuahua and its photovoltaic potential.