Mexico has the potential to become a global solar superpower, according to a new report from global energy think tank Ember. The study finds that falling battery costs have brought round-the-clock solar electricity within reach in sunny countries like Mexico, which could meet up to 90% of its electricity demand with solar and batteries.
“Mexico has all the ingredients to be a solar powerhouse,” said Wilmar Suarez, Latin America energy analyst at Ember. “By harnessing its world-class solar resources and pairing them with increasingly affordable batteries, Mexico could power its future with homegrown clean energy instead of imported gas.”
The report from global energy think tank Ember uses historical data from Mexico, including hourly solar radiation and hourly demand data, to model how solar-plus-storage systems could provide a constant supply of electricity.
Solar provided just 6.6% of Mexico’s electricity in 2023. However, by 2030, solar will be central to reaching a 45% share of clean electricity, contributing a fifth of Mexico’s electricity – a level already achieved by Chile and Spain last year. It would require accelerating deployment to reach 36 GW of solar capacity and 30 GWh of batteries by 2030, helping to reduce reliance on imported gas from the United States by around 20%.
