Enel and the Chocolate Factory

This is the story of a chocolate factory, but there are no secrets or hidden surprises as there might be in a book or a film. Here, everything takes place out in the open, under the sunlight! In fact, sunlight plays a leading role in this story, a story of innovation and sustainability.

Sugar confections made by the sun

The other main character in this story is the factory belonging to Comestibles Italo, one of the most famous confectioners in Colombia and this year celebrating the 90th anniversary of its foundation. Producing chocolate, biscuits, sweets and cakes, the factory is a paradise for children and the sweet-toothed of all ages. This year, the company decided to harness the power of sunlight to produce its own electricity, with the help of Codensa, a leader in Colombia’s electricity sales and distribution market (covering 100% of the capital city, Bogotá) and part of the Enel Group.

Comestibles Italo is restructuring its operations in order to become more environmentally friendly. The company has signed an agreement with Codensa involving the installation of 1080 photovoltaic panels on the roof of the factory, which is located in the industrial area of Bogotá. This will mark Enel’s biggest solar structure in the city and, with a production of 490 Mwh annually, it will be able to meet 13% of the company’s electricity needs.

A sunny future

At a later date, the system will be boosted with the addition of a further 2,500 panels that will enable Italo to generate a surplus of electricity that can be sold on to the national grid. This factor, combined with the savings on energy and the economic incentives offered by Colombian legislation, means that the company estimates a return on the investment in just 10 years.

While solar energy is the most significant project in Comestibles Italo’s sustainability programme, it is also part of a wider plan: other initiatives include the acquisition of a more efficient boiler, which has already provided energy savings of 27%, and the replacement of all the oven gas lighters with a more efficient model.

Comprehensive advanced services

For Codensa, the new project with Comestibles Italo is part of a strategy to develop renewable sources and energy efficiency that is characteristic of the Enel Group and its approach.

To date, a further three photovoltaic systems have been installed in Bogotá, involving a total of approximately 300 panels, which will be able to generate 77.5 Mwh annually. Additionally, there are plans for 15 more structures, at least, over the next three years, for a total of more than 25,000 panels throughout Colombia.

All our structures include the latest monitoring systems, which permit real-time reporting of actual power, energy consumption and the quantity of carbon dioxide emissions saved thanks to the use of solar energy.

Furthermore, Colombian clients also have access to the range of Enel’s most innovative energy products: infrastructures for e-mobility, services for energy efficiency, and illumination solutions for public locations as well as for architectural and landscape heritage areas (such as the system installed in the Parque Simón Bolívar, Bogotá’s main public park on the occasion of the Pope’s visit).

In the heartland of Colombia

The Enel Group manages 11 hydroelectric plants in Colombia, which represent over 85% of our installed production capability in the country. These plants not only produce clean energy, but have also become centres for our environmental activity, a commitment that goes well beyond the scope of energy production.

The Bogotá River is one of the most polluted in South America, mostly due to the impact of the capital city. A competition aimed at tackling the negative effects of pollution, was launched on Enel’s new Open Innovability Platform: the winning proposal for improving the quality of the environment will receive a prize of 5,000 euros.

Environmental risks are also present in less urbanised areas. One of the ecosystems most at risk is that of the tropical, dry forests in the Andean Valleys. Enel has launched a 20-year programme with the goal of increasing the area of the largest forest in Colombia, the Huila, by 11,000 hectares. Over the course of the project, new protected areas have been created and a new indigenous plant species discovered.

But that is another story…