Newsletter ACERA - Febrero 2020

13.
Nicolás is Chilean, 36 years old, separated, and has two daughters, three and six years
old. He is an Industrial Civil Engineer from Adolfo Ibáñez University and holds an
MBA from Hamburg School of Business Administration. This engineer enjoys his free
time doing sports, such as playing tennis and cycling.
Why did you decide to direct your career to the energy industry?
From my university times I was interested in this topic, I even got a mention in Energy and
Environment in my career. Over time, I became more and more involved and I can't see
myself in another industry.
Nicolás
Saul
Senior Sales Engineer
nicolas.saul@siemensgamesa.com
Regarding the importance of the participation of Renewable Energies in the country’s
electricity system, Nicolás highlights two relevant factors: First, they are key to the
process of decarbonization of the energy matrix. "We're hoping to have a carbon-neutral
country in the future," he says. Secondly, they contribute to lower energy prices to the
end consumer "since they are technologies with lower operating costs than a
conventional power plant and have no inputs, we bring this economic benefit to society,"
he explains.
With regard to the contribution in the mitigation of climate change of these technologies,
Nicolas emphasizes that "since they are an alternative – or replacement - to conventional
energy, they contribute to the decarbonization of the energy matrix, which results in
decreased CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, fundamental to tackling climate change".
Nicolás believes that generating energy through renewable resources is not a single
solution, it should be a mix of actions. "Of course, replacing fossil fuels is the most
relevant step, but it's also important to combine with electromobility, along with changes
in population consumption patterns, more conscious, that will lead us to the ultimate
goal of stopping global warming," he says.
Nicolás points out that Siemens Gamesa, the company where he is currently Sales
Engineer, is oriented to wind energy, with a combination of products and services. "We
have wind turbines from 2.5 to 5.8MW, which we manufacture, transport and install. We
also provide wind farm operation and maintenance services," he says. "Since the 2017
merger between Siemens Wind and Gamesa, we have been developing products with the
best of both technologies, which have been very successful in countries such as Mexico,
Brazil and Chile," he adds.
Nicolás highlights the coverage that Siemens Gamesa has throughout Chile. "We are
focused on maintaining a leading position in our field, generating increasingly efficient
models with capabilities to take advantage of the wind in places where the previous
technology was not viable. In this way, we can better leverage the available wind
resource. Something very useful in Chile, where the wind is - in general - class 3, that is,
relatively low. We have turbines in wind farms operating from Chiloé to Calama," he says.
Why would you recommend being an ACERA member?
ACERA is an organization that has, in my view, become a leader of opinion when it
comes to renewable energy. Not only in Chile, but –as far as I know– it has collaborative
alliances with other similar associations in South America, and more than one of them has
tried to replicate what ACERA has achieved in our country.