# GIS-Based Wind and Solar Power Assessment in Central Mexico
## 1 Introduction
The proportion of RE in the total electrical capacity in Mexico is shown in Figure 2; the trend of increased participation of RE in Mexico has been positive in the last decade. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**2016** & **2017** & **2018** & **2019** & **2020** \\ \hline
298,791.7 & 309,727 & 318,236 & 324,927 & 315,968 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Evolution of the gross electrical consumption in Mexico (GWh). Figure 1: The total capacity of renewable energies in Mexico (2012–2021). Integrating different RE technologies has been critical to achieving this capacity; among them are Hydropower, Wind, Solar Photovoltaic, Bioenergy, and Geothermal. Data in Table 2 show the growth and contribution to the total installed capacity of RE in recent years in Mexico. Data in Table 2 show the increasing trend in integrating REs. This growth has been driven mainly by wind and photovoltaic energy, as the hydroelectric capacity of large plants installed for several decades has not increased significantly in the last ten years. Figure 3 shows the percentage of installed capacity by technology as of 2021, recognizing solar photovoltaic (SPV) and wind turbines (WTB) as the most promising technologies. According to data presented, a promising future can be foreseen for the RE industry in Mexico; this is mainly driven by the new energy policies and regulations forming \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Technology** & **2016** & **2017** & **2018** & **2019** & **2020** \\ \hline Hydropower & 12,642 & 12,642 & 12,671 & 12,671 & 12,671 \\ Wind & 4199 & 4876 & 6050 & 6504 & 7692 \\ Solar & 1126 & 2555 & 4440 & 5163 & 7040 \\ Bioenergy & 1027 & 1109 & 1014 & 1016 & 1064 \\ Geothermal & 926 & 951 & 951 & 951 & 976 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Growth of RE by type of technology in Mexico. Figure 3: Renewable energy percentage in Mexico by technology (2021). Figure 2: Renewable energy percentage in the total electrical capacity in Mexico. through agreements to mitigate global climate change and achieve transition energy in the medium term. However, these policies seek greater participation of the Federal Electricity Commission CFE in generating plants, which could hinder investment in RE projects [7]. In Mexico, the Program for the Development of the National Electric System (PRODESEN 2021-2035) [3], which defines the national energy policy in terms of electricity concerning the National Development Plan 2019-2024, declares three main objectives:  
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2. Reactivation and development of power plants of the CFE. 3. Guaranteeing universal access to electricity, thus contributing to the country's economic growth in quality conditions. 4. Compliance with the environmental commitments contracted with international bodies regarding reducing emissions and climate change, for which the increase of electricity generation through clean and renewable energy is proposed. A top priority of the Government of Mexico is to guarantee the efficiency, quality, reliability, continuity, and security of the SEN; according to the new law of the Electricity Industry of Mexico, published in 2021, this will be achieved with the modernization and rehabilitation of CFE generation plants, in addition to the construction of new plants of this same entity (Objective 1-2). These new criteria may delay the development of various projects of a renewable energy nature, as priority will be given to CFE plants. However, the commitment that integrates these new energy policies in terms of clean energy also brings areas of opportunity for the energy industries. According to analysis of energy resources, solar photovoltaic (SPV) and wind turbines (WTB) have been recognized as the most promising technologies, owing to the rapid decline in their per-kWh cost and fast-growing popularity [8].