CATIE and ICE reaffirm alliance in cooperation projects after visit of electricity manager

• The occasion was an opportunity to tour the international coffee collection, the dairy farm and the biodigester.

January 6, 2023. Roberto Quirós, electricity manager of the I.C.E. (Costa Rican Electricity Institute) visited CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) this Friday, February 3, as a sign of the good relations that both institutions have maintained over time and with the purpose of opening new opportunities for the development of various projects.

Leonardo Aguilar, head of Information and Communication Technology, shared with Quirós some of the cooperation projects between the I.C.E. and CATIE that have yielded excellent results. For example, the photovoltaic project in the Dr. Gilberto Páez building, where 72 solar modules were installed, resulting in considerable savings in electricity consumption, the rental agreement for the installation of 4G cellular antennas, the 500 mb symmetrical business internet link and the SIP trunk digital telephone system.

For his part, the electricity manager of the I.C.E. congratulated the institution for the work mentioned above and expressed interest in generating training and support for key projects promoted by the current government, such as an electromobility plan. "We believe in the replacement by an electric vehicle fleet, for example, in motorized equipment for internal security. We are working on the issue of biofuels as an alternative to the non-access of electric vehicles that we know have a high cost, such as buses and trucks, which are subject to the analysis of use versus savings", he mentioned.

Quirós also commented on a series of projects that are planned for the application of the 5G mobile network that would allow better analysis and automation work in agricultural issues. "The 5G does not mean just having that amount of data on the cell phone, it is a tool that will allow us to look for partners to use in education and research topics. It will be a game changer in the improvement of the industry area" he said.

Carlos Araya, Director of Green Business Development, Resource Mobilization and Strategic Alliances at CATIE, said that the implementation of the 5G network for agricultural projects would have a profound impact, especially on small producers, as it would improve results in the field. "This exchange of information and support to producers is our pillar, there in the rural area is our work being a bridge with staff and training programs," he said.

Finally, the I.C.E. official toured the international coffee collection and the Dairy Farm where he made special emphasis on visiting the biodigester, which has the objective of transforming the biogas from manure management into electrical energy, which is used in the dairy's production processes. Quirós commented that the I.C.E. is very interested in the exchange of knowledge with CATIE, in the training and professional updating of its personnel.