In Mingueo, La Guajira, the community lights up the country's first community electric charging station.

May 9, 2024 - In an unprecedented milestone for the Mingueo community, a district of Dibulla in La Guajira, POLEN Transiciones Justas celebrated the launch of the country's first community electric charging station, a shared solar charging station for electric motorcycles. Equipped with twelve 6.5 kWp solar panels, seven 24 kWh lithium batteries, and a 6 kW single-phase inverter unit, this achievement marks a significant step towards the adoption of renewable technologies in both urban and rural settings, as well as a crucial boost for a just energy transition.

This initiative, led by POLEN Transiciones Justas, supported by the Leapfrogging to E- mobility Acceleration Partnership (LEAP) Fund, a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, and in alliance with the Community Action Board of the San Martín neighborhood and its president Kelly Mindiola, reflects the teamwork of civil society and the Mingueo community to promote electromobility. Community collaboration has been essential in this pioneering project, evidenced by the allocation of space in the community house for the charging station and their participation in the installation. This joint commitment demonstrates the effort to promote sustainable transportation alternatives, placing collective and solidarity participation at the forefront.

During the inauguration and launch of this project on April 16th, members of the POLEN Transiciones Justas team emphasized the positive impact of this initiative on local families and job creation opportunities for the region. Additionally, they highlighted the importance of this solar charging station as a crucial step towards a future beyond fossil fuels, prioritizing renewable energy sources for Mingueo to ensure affordability for electric transportation.

The inauguration and launch event of this project was attended by the Director of Fossil Fuels and two advisors from the Ministry of Mines and Energy, experts in electric mobility and energy communities, as well as the mayor of Mingueo and representatives from the University of La Guajira. All emphasized their keen interest in contributing to the replication of these electromobility projects, with the Community Action Board of the San Martín neighborhood being a national benchmark.

This electromobility project in Mingueo stands out for its comprehensive approach, which goes beyond the installation of a community solar charging station. In addition to this component, the project aims to promote the use of electric vehicles powered by solar energy. In this regard, tests are being conducted with electric motorcycles for transporting people and agricultural cargo to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Among the models of motorcycles used are 2 Super Soco, with 3900W engines and a range of 70km, as well as a Portiva scooter-type motorcycle, with a range of 50km. To complement these tests, 2 gasoline NKD motorcycles and 1 Dynamic scooter-type motorcycle are also being adapted to operate with electric technology. These conversions involve the installation of HUB engines in the wheels, which will significantly improve their range up to 100km.

It is important to highlight that the participants in these tests are residents of Mingueo selected through a process based on specific criteria. Among these criteria, previous experience in transporting cargo by motorcycle to the Sierra Nevada, having some entrepreneurship, being single mothers or local farmers were included. The selection process was designed to ensure the participation of 3 women and 3 men, who will also receive training in retrofitting (the process of transforming a gasoline motorcycle into an electric motorcycle) through a specialized course. This course, supported by experts from EoloMotors SAS in collaboration with the University of La Guajira and with the support of the Tecnológico de Monterrey, offers opportunities for career reorientation for both participants and mechanical engineering students interested in acquiring knowledge about this emerging technology.