A documented analysis of renewable energy related research and developmentin Mexico

The research and development of renewable energy sources in Mexico has rece ntly started to be considered as a form of contributing to solve the enviro nmental problems caused by the irrational use of fossil fuels to meet the h uman and industrial energy requirements. The major areas of renewable energ y research in Mexico are solar thermal energy, photovoltaic energy, wind en ergy, geothermal energy, materials for renewable energy, energy planning an d economy and lately new programs such as hydrogen energy, fuel cells, etc. In Mexico, there are many important institutions such as universities, res earch centers and industries working on research, development and analysis of renewable energy sources. The industrial involvement is comparatively le ss in this kind of research. In this work we present results from a documen ted, statistical and analytical research carried out on the renewable energ y related research and development activities in various important Mexican research and development institutions. Many factors affecting the complete understanding of the research and development of renewable energy sources a re presented in this paper. (C) 1999 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.