Brochure - Coopesantos R

Cleaner energy, communities with greater well-being

Costa Rica’s

clean energy revolution

As operations increase, Coopesantos is driving forward its bold ambition to be carbon neutral by 2021 Written by Mateo Rafael Tablado Produced by Lucy Verde Interviewee Patricio SolĂ­s, CEO for Coopesantos

T

he electric energy sector in Costa Rica has certainly evolved by integrating the different population sectors to the country’s distribution networks. Since the 1960s, Coopesantos has been an important player in this industry and has also evolved through a 50year operation from being a power distribution company to a vital energy generator.

The partnerships established by Coopesantos throughout the years have successfully translated into more and better services for its users, such as cable TV and internet, and fibre optic connectivity since 2017 in select areas, offering these services to 50% of its power distribution network.

Coopesantos ventures into power generation have led the company to invest in renewable energy sources, being consistent with the Coopesantos philosophy, directed to benefit the co-op’s associates and the served communities.

Operating under such principles has resulted in outstanding benefits, especially for economies in Latin America, not least because Coopesantos service fees have not been raised once during the last four years.

In a bid to bring services to the largest amount of Costa Ricans possible, Coopesantos is the only company carrying broadband data transmission to a native reservation, benefitting the Quitirrisí community in the San José province.

“We strive to reach more communities. We are

4

“WE STRIVE TO REACH MORE COMMUNITIES. WE ARE FOCUSED ON SOCIAL ASPECTS AND OUR PEOPLE’S DEVELOPMENT AS WE SUSTAIN FINANCIAL STABILITY” – Mario Patricio Solís Solís,CEO for Coopesantos

w w w. c o o p e s a n t o s . c o m

5

COOPESANTOS R.L. ilumina la región con tecnología LED

focused on social aspects and our people’s development as we sustain financial stability,” states Mario Patricio Solís, CEO for Coopesantos.

Solís has taken on different positions in Coopesantos during the 12 years he’s been involved with the company: assistant to the CEO, CFO and VP, until becoming CEO in 2017. He majored in Economics at the University of Costa Rica; he also earned an MBA from the

6

INCAE Business School (Central American Institute of Business Administration, in Costa Rica).

Energy generation powerhouse The larger part of electric power distributed via Coopesantos’ grid comes from three sources. The San Lorenzo and Sigifredo Solís hydroelectric centrals is a joint venture with three other cooperatives operating power grids, bringing

electricity to rural communities. Both facilities generate a 41MW output combined. Coopesantos owns 18.06% (7.5MW) of total output.

Second is Los Santos Wind Farm.

This facility opened in 2011 and counts with 15 turbines, for a nameplate capacity of 12.75MW. Los Santos was certified as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) by the United Nations Organization (UNO).

The final source is a new solar plant

in the company headquarters at San Marcos de Tarrazú, working since 2016 and a nameplate capacity of 100KW. Eighty new panels are to be deployed at San Marcos during 2018, and there are plans to install solar plants in the cooperative’s branches.

Only a third of the power supplying the Coopesantos grid is obtained from other sources, namely the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE).

w w w. c o o p e s a n t o s . c o m

7

“EVERY EFFORT IS AIMED TO GENERATE INTERNAL EFFICIENCY TO MAKE BETTER USE OF OUR RESOURCES AND KEEP OUR FEES AS UNAFFECTED AS POSSIBLE” – Mario Patricio Solís Solís, CEO for Coopesantos

Suppliers and partnerships Besides power supplied by ICE, names such as Philips stand out in the supply chain at Coopesantos.

The Dutch multinational took part in the street light renovation project by converting every unit to LED bulbs, helping Coopesantos become the first power distribution company in Costa Rica bringing LED to its entire street light area.

“This project resulted in 60% savings from what our street light system demands,” Solís reveals.

Coopesantos performs internal evaluations on every supplier, assuring compliance with product quality and minimising impact on the environment in order for the cooperative to remain

8

certified for environmental measures.

“We put outstanding efforts into working with vendors able to add value to our operations and showing a track record of productive relationships in other territories,” Solís remarks.

Distributed generation and electric vehicle pilot programme Current initiatives driven by Coopesantos include distributed generation, showing associates and users the benefits of investing in domestic power generation technology systems, mainly solar, with a focus on self-sufficiency.

“A user and associate integration into our value chain would decrease

w w w. c o o p e s a n t o s . c o m

9

our dependence on ICE,” Solís adds.

In related projects, Coopesantos recently acquired its first electric vehicle as part of a pilot programme, which may result into migrating the entire fleet away from internal combustion engine vehicles. The test run was designed with two charging stations: one in the Interamerican Highway South, at Tejar del Guarco; and the other one at San Marcos de Tarrazú. There’s currently no fee charged for users of both stations, as negotiations are underway to

10

strike a strategic partnership to deploy charging stations at several locations of a restaurant chain.

“Eventually, vehicle charging will be measured at some point; for now we consider all the electricity used in the test run as a contribution from the co-op to our country and to the world,” Solís states.

Carbon neutrality In 2012, Costa Rica chose to pursue a carbon neutral footprint and achieve it by 2021. Coopesantos

has already earned this certification and was recently ratified by the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications (MINAE).

Also, within the Kyoto Protocol programme (also UNO-related), the co-op is working to take part in the international carbon credit trade market, an achievement that would make Coopesantos the first privately-owned business in Costa Rica to take part in this scheme.

Water protection In 2004 Coopesantos began the development of its Water Protection Programme. Since then, invested funds have been instrumental in the acquisition of around 370 acres of land designated to water, flora and fauna protection. Besides providing care and maintenance for these reserves, Coopesantos establishes agreements with local non-profits and rural water works committees to share both water and maintenance programmes.

In 2017, the programme earned Coopesantos the Social Solidary Economy Better Practice Award in the ‘Sustainable Territories’

200

Number of employees at Coopesantos category, from Banco Popular, Community Development and other Costa Rican organisations.

Accomplishments and upcoming goals The company’s new visual identity, a process that began in 2017 and will soon be displayed in its website and other outlets, is but the tip of the iceberg of its plans for the near future.

Along with three other companies, there are plans to import bandwidth from Miami to be marketed among its cable TV users in all of Costa Rica.

Another important project is a smart grid development, which will optimise the services provided and

w w w. c o o p e s a n t o s . c o m

11

Felicitamos a Coopesantos por los logros obtenidos y le auguramos muchos éxitos en el 2018.

Para mayor información sobre nuestros productos y soluciones de Eaton´s Cooper Power series products: JorgeFernandez@eaton.com Tel. +506 8708- 0608

allow for remote monitoring, resulting in a faster response to damage reports and minimising energy leaks.

A possible synergy between these projected improvements along with an increase in energy generation and distribution may not only keep service fees the same as the last four years, but also reduce them.

“Every effort is aimed to generate internal efficiency to make better use of our resources and keep our fees unaffected as possible,” Solís concludes.

12

Fundado en

1965 w w w. c o o p e s a n t o s . c o m

13

San Marcos de Tarrazú San José, SJ, Costa Rica Tel. +(506) 2546-2525 www.coopesantos.com