Monica Vergara Mercado
Universidad Externado de Colombia
Gustavo A Yepes López
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Although Colombia has one of the best matrices of energy in the region, clean and reliable, the country has a great task ahead to carry out energy to at least 2.5 million citizens who are in the dark for not having the service.
There are 470,000 homes without service, distributed throughout the national territory. We still do not have access to electricity.
About 17.4% of the households in the rural area in Colombia have no connection to the energy service, the department of Cundinamarca represents 10.6% the problem solving project for social welfare.
Enel Codensa through the initiative called "Cundinamarca 100%" aims to improve the coverage of electric power service, providing greater comfort in homes and rural development in the country, the goal is to carry out the service more than 8,500 households In the rural areas of the department of Cundinamarca, which currently has no coverage, which are located geographically, and are difficult to access, through the integration of new technologies not available.
In the words of David Felipe Acosta manager of Enel Codensa "the coherence between the percentage of coverage of access to electricity, rural media and reality in the countryside becomes our obsession, because it is related to our raison d'être, attending to the needs "access to the safe and powerful energy of the inhabitants of our area of influence to maintain our sustainability"
"Cundinamarca 100%" is part of Enel's commitment to implementing programs to improve access to electricity. It is estimated that this initiative begins in Cundinamarca, Colombia, more than 3 million people who can benefit from Latin America, Africa and Asia by the year 2020.
Currently, 17.4% of families in rural Colombia do not have energy due to their geographical location and lack of access roads. For this reason, ENEL CODENSA has used different alternatives with state-of-the-art technology, such as photovoltaic generation and energy storage. Likewise, helicopters and drones have been used for the supply of material and the installation of electrical networks.
In general, these regions of the country, due to their geographic and topographical conditions, have difficulties to find with the traditional energy network. Therefore, with this innovative solution of energy sources, they do not exist, there is the possibility of electrifying these roads.
"These are the geographical and topographic regions, the traditional energy networks, the innovative reason for the electric power source, the possibility of electrifying them, and the content of having an electrical source 24 hours a day," wrote David Felipe Acosta, manager General of Enel de Codensa.
For this, as explained by the general manager of Enel Codensa, the first generation and the renewable energy distribution system in Cundinamarca, known as 'Minigrid' (Electricity distribution network powered by renewable energy), was built and put into operation. That energy in homes for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This system is composed of a photovoltaic system, batteries and a backup diesel generator.
The installation of this Minigrid responds to the difficulties of access that some areas of the department have, which avoid the transport of traditional energy, due to its geographical condition. Therefore, it is necessary to implement the use of alternative solutions, such as unconventional energy sources, for families that historically have not had this service.
This project also has equipment for generation control, energy measurement and intelligent led lighting. Among the activities that these people can do now is refrigerated their food and make use of appliances without any inconvenience. With this solution, the community infrastructure of the area was also energized, such as the school, the chapel, the manga colleague and a microenterprise of dairy products, guaranteeing the sustainable development of the community.
For David Felipe Acosta, general manager of Enel Codensa, the "Cundinamarca 100%" project is part of the commitment to implement programs to improve access to electricity in homes. The above, under the objective of sustainable development of the United Nations, referring to more families have this service. For the "the greatest challenge is to achieve universal service in the municipalities of Cundinamarca, reaching a coverage of 100 percent. Also, it is to apply the appropriate technology to reach the area. "
It also considers the possibility of extending the program to other areas of the country with similar conditions: "In the next twelve months we will make the respective measurements, in order to evaluate the performance of these solutions, the satisfaction of our customers, know the scheme of operation and evaluate the future use of these technologies in other areas of the department or the country, "said David Felipe Acosta, manager of Enel CODENSA.
David Felipe Acosta says: "personally, the 100% Cundinamarca project inspires me, justifies our reason for being, contributing to reduce the gap between the city and rural areas forces us to be innovative, challenges us."
Through the project "Cundinamarca 100%" whose objective is to bring the energy service to more than 8,500 households in maximum five years (2020), located in the rural areas of the department of Cundinamarca that currently do not have coverage. Especially because they are located in geographically isolated places that are difficult to access. During 2017 and 2018, Enel Codensa made 1,600 homes with safe, permanent and renewable electric power.
"For us the innovation is to solve real problems in our visits to Cambo that close to Bogota had 8,500 households without access to electric power increased the gap between the city and rural areas of difficult access and that need required our attention" express David Acosta Manager of Enel Codensa
In this initiative, the social benefit is combined with a direct business. The company's operating income is derived from the energy distribution service and, extending the coverage, we will have new customers, only in Cundinamarca there will be 8,500 new customers. It has also contributed to increase brand awareness, strengthen the corporate image and relations with stakeholders, mainly with the community and the government and control entities. Workers who participate express pride in power are part of a work that improves the quality of life of families that are not contoured with the energy service; Their greatest satisfaction is the smile and the gratitude of the people who have received the solution that is expected to access this service and improve their living conditions.
In the words of Pedro Ignacio Patiño, one of the beneficiaries of the program, "light has changed our lives. My day was a little longer and now I can work longer and have a milking equipment in my house. Without energy it seemed that he lived in a totally different world. Only the one that has not had light and now has it, can talk about the wonders of this service.”
"Contribute from our work to the goal of the United Nations to increase access to energy in a safe and sustainable way for rural citizens," emphasizes David Felipe Acosta General Manager of Enel Codensa.
In the same way we could say that the contribution of Enel Codensa with the "Cundinamarca 100%" initiative in each of the SDGs is as follows:
• SDG 1: End of poverty. It focuses on benefiting vulnerable populations that do not have a basic service such as electricity.
• SDG 7: Affordable and non-polluting energy. It focuses on guaranteeing access to affordable, sustainable and modern energy for 8,500 families.
• SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth. Access to energy leverages the economic development of the communities in the areas of influence of the project.
• SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities: Contributes to sustainable communities in the zones of influence.
• SDG 13: Action for climate. Some of the families produce electricity through small diesel generators, which have high levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
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David Felipe Acosta Correa, Cundimarca to 100%
Enel Codensa is a Colombian company that distributes and commercializes electric power in the capital of Colombia, Bogotá and the center of the country. Leader in the Colombian national market with 24% of the total participation.
The project's innovation is transformed into the lives of 17.4% of the households in the scattered rural area of Colombia, which have no connection to the electric power service and are located in geographically isolated areas that are difficult to access. Enel Codensa in the framework of sustainability and social welfare solutions solve this problem through the renewable energies of the agreement with the objective of sustainable development 7 of the United Nations, referring to the families of this service. a solar farm in each village, whose production is based on agriculture, livestock and the production of milk products
"Through our program 'Cundinamarca 100%', we seek to bring electricity to 8,500 households, approximately, that still do not have the service. We studied the conditions, as well as the terrain, it was not possible to reach a traditional lighting system," said David Felipe Acosta, general manager of Enel de Codensa.