Driving through the endless dunes and cactuses of the Chihuahuan desert in northern Mexico, a shimmering blue field suddenly appears on the horizon - not a mirage, but the largest solar park in Latin America.
This silent stretch of sand in the state of Coahuila is the spot the Italian energy giant Enel picked to build the Villanueva power plant: 2.3 million solar panels that sprawl across a sun-soaked area the size of 2,200 soccer fields.
When the plant reaches full capacity later this year, it will supply enough electricity to power 1.3 million homes.
Workers install new solar panels at the Villanueva photovoltaic power plant in the desert near Villanueva, Mexico, on April 20. Alfredo Estrella / Agence France-Presse
It is the biggest solar project in the world outside China and India.
The panels are designed to turn in tandem with the sun, like a field of metallic sunflowers.
They are part of Mexico's push to generate 35 percent of its electricity from clean sources by 2024.
Mexico won plaudits from environmentalists in 2015 when it became the first developing country to announce its emissions reduction targets for the United Nations climate accord, ambitiously vowing to halve them by 2050.
A key part of that push is a sweeping energy reform undertaken in 2013.
The reform made global headlines for reopening Mexico's oil sector to foreign companies after 76 years of state monopoly.
A lesser-known - but perhaps ultimately more important - aspect was to allow private companies to generate and supply electricity.
Projects like this are also benefiting from a sharp drop in prices for solar technology in recent years.
"Photovoltaic solar energy is the fastest-growing energy in the world. And that is driving technology innovators," said Arturo Garcia, an energy specialist at the international consulting firm Deloitte.
The energy reform and price plunge are together reshaping the solar market in Mexico.
"Before the reform, it was an environmental issue," said Victor Ramirez, executive director of the National Solar Energy Association. "Today, it's not just about the environment, it's about economics. If solar sources are cheaper, investment is going to gravitate there."
The new opportunities are attracting international interest.
Besides the $650-million Villanueva project, Enel has another solar park and is building two wind farms.
Spain's Iberdrola is building two solar parks, Dutch firm Alten is building another, and British-backed Atlas Renewable Energy recently acquired yet another.
"Mexico has world-class solar resources," said Camilo Serrano, Atlas' general manager for Mexico.
"The potential is absolutely proven, and investors' appetite is obvious in the auctions."
The auctions have so far raised an estimated $8.6 billion in investment.
Mexican Energy Minister Pedro Joaquin Coldwell recently said they would lead to the construction of 40 solar parks and 25 wind projects.
Mexico, which had nine solar parks in 2015, aims to have 68 by 2021, he added.
Editor:Yaling
