Mexico's Abundant Sunshine No Help for Stalled Solar Industry
- Solar meets less than 1% of Mexico's electricity needs
- Import tax on solar panels seen hindering development
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Mexico has some of the strongest sunlight in the Americas and plenty of wide-open space in the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts, ideal conditions for solar energy. It also has an import tariff that’s stymied development of photovoltaic power plants.
The country has 60 megawatts of installed solar capacity, meeting less than one percent of its electricity needs, according to the Mexican Solar Energy Association. While the government has set a target of getting 35 percent of the country’s power from clean sources by 2024, much of that will be from wind.