Medellin-based multinational electric-power giant EPM announced January 19 the start-up of a 590 megawatt-hours/year (MWh/year) solar-voltaic power system for the “El Tesoro” shopping mall in the Poblado district.

The photovoltaic system will operate in parallel with conventional grid power (overwhelmingly hydroelectric-sourced), according to EPM.

It’s EPM’s first-ever such system installed and financed for commercial customers, under a 15-year contract deal, according to the company, whose sole owner is the municipality of Medellin.

According to EPM general manager Jorge Londoño de la Cuesta, the new system includes 1,568 solar panels, covering a roof area of 2,570 square meters and supplying power mainly to the common areas of the shopping center.

With the new system, “we expect to generate approximately 590 MWh annually, equivalent to the power consumption of approximately 341 homes,” de la Cuesta said.

El Tesoro general manager Adriana González Zapata added that the new system “will bring great benefits – economically, because it will substitute for about 24% of [grid power], and environmentally, as part of our commitment to reduce our carbón footprint.”

The solar-power system will have dispatch priority in power supply, with grid-power serving as backup.

EPM’s 40.9%-owned “Erco Energia” affiliate built and installed the system and will provide maintenance. EPM now can offer similar systems to commercial customers that have “ample” space for photovoltaic panels, the company added.

EPM will assume the up-front cost of the system as well as handle installation, operation and maintenance. The company will recoup its investment via long-term contracts at “stable” and “competitive” prices per kilowatt-hour -- paired with conventional grid energy supply to ensure constant, reliable power, according to EPM.

Companies employing such solar-power systems can now claim credits as socially responsible entrerprises (“Responsabilidad Social Empresarial,” RSE), and also can get real-time reports on solar power use, according to the company.

The solar-power system EPM is offering doesn’t employ battery storage, but rather is custom-designed for each customer’s power profile, according to the company.

For each 100 kilowatts of newly installed solar power capacity, a commercial company could claim an annual reduction of 28 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, equivalent to the typical CO2 footprint of 81 homes, according to EPM.