Mexico President Felipe Calderon announced last week at the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun, that he intends to support a project by Dubai’s Rubenius to provide 1 gigawatt of energy storage in Baja California.
The storage warehouse is expected to cost $4 billion over the next 5 to 7 years.
“Energy storage is the intelligent way to make renewable energy carbon free. Currently renewables require some sort of backup power–for example: when the wind stops blowing, the most common solution today is carbon based backup systems. Energy storage can end this quandary,” stated President Calderon.
The President met with Claus Rubenius, chairman of Rubenius, at the UN talks to discuss renewable storage in North America and other locations.
In addition to what he called the world’s first energy warehouse, Rubenius also announced his intentions to pursue energy storage manufacturing operations. The new factory will also be based in Silicon Border; Baja California and is expected to create an additional 1,000 green jobs there.
Rubenius also said the company’s products and expertise will benefit off-grid communities. Nearly 3.5 billion people do not have access to a reliable electrical grid and clean water. Mexico will initiate several beta sites where off-grid communities are provided with either solar or wind power, power storage and water treatment.
“Our experience in the UAE and our smart grid expertise has given us the confidence to enter into the North American market with a 1 GW energy storage project in Silicon Border’s science park in Mexicali, Baja California,” said Rubenius. “The Mexican operation will house the storage devices and we will have offices in San Diego, California for research and development. The locations enable us to address both Mexico and the U.S.”
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