Current state of wind energy in Mexico, achievements and perspectives

The Mexican government has made a serious commitment to include wind energy in its energy policy. It aims at reducing the dependence on fossil fuels for the generation of electricity and thus cut down the emissions of environmentally harmful gases. The generation of electric energy from renewable sources, apart from hydraulic and geothermal ones, is still limited despite the potential available throughout the territory. However, wind energy has joined the energy basket as one of the viable alternatives in the short and medium term. The objective of the Infrastructure National Program of the Federal Government for 2012 is to achieve that 5% of the electricity generated will come from the wind. To offer an up-to-date view this article reviews the state of wind energy in Mexico, the achievements, perspectives and current limitations for its future development. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.