TITLE:
Security Regulations in Mexican Renewable Energies: Case of Geothermal Projects
AUTHORS:
Alfonso Aragón-Aguilar, Georgina Izquierdo-Montalvo, Víctor Arellano-Gómez
KEYWORDS:
Security; Renewable Energy; Geothermal; Hydro; Wind; Solar; Environment; Official Mexican Norms; Geothermal Fields
JOURNAL NAME:
Smart Grid and Renewable Energy,
Vol.4 No.6A,
September
3,
2013
ABSTRACT: A
review of natural resources existing in México is done. The description of the
renewable energies for electricity generation operating at date along the
country, includes hydro, wind, solar, biomass and geothermal, among others. The
installed capacity (to 2012) in México for electric generation from renewable
energies is equivalent to 22% of total generation capacity. México has
geothermal resources, which can be classified as high and low enthalpy, and of
hot dry rock. To date, the exploitation has focused mainly
on high enthalpy geothermal fields. Geothermal power plants do not burn fuel,
preventing gas emissions helping to reduce global warming and greenhouse
effect. Security risks in México geothermal fields, as a part of renewable
energies linked to Smart Grids, are described emphasizing their geographical
locations to facilitate the exposure to dangerous events. The results about research on Mexican
Official Norms protecting environment related with geothermal operation
projects are shown. The Mexican geothermal projects have developed under rules
that provide security to workers and people, avoiding impacts on the
environment. However, it was found that it necessarily emphasized
previsions to damages and remedial actions for grids due to risks by natural contingencies
(cyclones, winds, earthquakes) and by artificial causes such as vandalism
(grids breaking, fire, explosions, etc.). Unfortunately, there are no preventive norms against natural risks. After all the
analyses carried out, security must be considered by nature a dynamic and
ever-changing process.