Belize Could Soon Be Storing Sunshine… Literally

The Ministry of Energy is rolling out large-scale battery systems that will store extra solar power during the day for use at night, a step officials say could lower light bills and reduce dependence on imported energy.

Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Energy, Dr Leroy Almendarez, explained that while Belize has hydro and biomass power, solar energy remains underused without proper storage. “If you have nothing to store the sun’s rays, the sun’s energy, then you really can’t make the best use of it,” he said.

Currently, Belize imports up to 50% of its power from Mexico. But new projects, including a 40-megawatt World Bank-funded battery storage system, aim to reduce that dependence by allowing cheaper energy to be stored and used during peak hours. “There are times around 1:00 a.m. or 2:00 a.m. in the morning when power is much cheaper. If we have this battery energy storage system… we can actually buy the cheap power, store it in the batteries… when BEL then distributes this power… it could take my light bill down at peak times,” Dr Almendarez explained.

He added that the batteries work like those in a vehicle, storing energy chemically and converting it back into electricity when needed; however, they must be carefully maintained. “If you don’t maintain the battery, you start to see corrosion… these same battery energy storage systems start to lose value as well, they start to degrade,” he said.

According to Dr Almendarez, Belize’s transition to renewable energy is already underway. “Storage is here… in the next five years, what we’re looking at is 135 megawatts of solar and 60 megawatts of batteries. The first batteries should be in place no later than the end of 2026,” he stated.

By 2030, the ministry aims to generate 75% of its energy from renewable sources.