The data goes hand in hand with the Dirección General de Energía, Hidrocarburos y Minas (DGEHM), which states that, during 2023, photovoltaic plants generated around 539,067.71 megawatt hours (MWh), which represented 7.13% of the salvadoran energy matrix.

This generation produced by sunlight was only surpassed by energy based on natural gas, as well as geothermal and hydroelectric, he explained.

In the last year, more than 35 private and public photovoltaic projects were registered, supplying the energy demand of 500,000 Salvadoran homes (estimated in one year).

The institution estimates that the considerable investment of a company in a solar plant could mean savings of up to 50% in the energy bill.

The president of the Comisión Ejecutiva Hidroeléctrica del Río Lempa (CEL), Daniel Álvarez, recently informed that this year they will continue with the construction of projects, among them the second photovoltaic plant of the State, which will be located at the Central Hidroeléctrica 15 de Septiembre.

According to the official, the plant will be built on CEL's land, specifically on the land of the Central Hidroeléctrica 15 de Septiembre.

This would join the Talnique Solar plant, operated by Inversiones Energéticas (INE), which has an installed capacity of 17 megawatts thanks to the 29,600 bifacial solar panels placed on a 19-block site.

Álvarez indicated that Talnique Solar was executed with a total investment of US$20 million and the plant became fully operational in december 2023.

The president of CEL said that photovoltaic energy is currently one of the main sectors attracting investment in the country.

Translated by: A.M