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Cobija

Current status, energy mix, organizations, suppliers, equipment, controls, reported specifications, and project updates—with source-level citations.

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations9
System facts21
Sources reviewed11
Evidence reviewed2026-07-20

Cobija's isolated utility system in Bolivia's Pando department combines a 5.2 MWp-class solar plant, 15.2 MVA of diesel generation, and a 2.2 MW/approximately 1.16 MWh Saft lithium-ion stabilization system under SMA controls. Isotron/Isastur delivered the EPC project using Yingli modules, SMA PV and battery inverters, and an SMA Fuel Save Controller. ENDE Corporación owns the plant and ENDE Guaracachi currently operates it. Current owner and regulator pages confirm continued operation, but no current Cobija-specific annual renewable percentage was published in the sources reviewed.

Research status
Operating. SMA records commissioning in December 2014; ENDE inaugurated the second phase in July 2015. ENDE Guaracachi's current plant page identifies ENDE Corporación as owner and itself as operator, while Bolivia's 2024 regulator account still lists Guaracachi operating the Cobija solar plant within the isolated system.
Historical classification
Community
Reported capacity
See component specifications
Coordinates
-11.03439, -68.78108
Evidence note: “Every company” cannot be proven from public material alone. This page lists every organization found in the recovered record and reviewed sources, preserves unknown roles, and explicitly marks undisclosed controller or equipment details.
Report missing evidenceResearch methodology

Project delivery

Who was involved in Cobija?

9 publicly identified organizations. Where a recovered source named a participant without explaining its work, the role remains explicitly unspecified.

Organization

CIEMAT

Performed the post-construction plant inspection reported in the technical project account. [10]

Organization

ENDE Corporación

Owner of the Cobija solar plant and owner/operator of the wider vertically integrated Cobija isolated system. [2][11][7]

Organization

ENDE Guaracachi

Current operator of the solar plant under an electricity purchase/sale agreement. [2][11]

Organization

Government of Denmark

Provided a US$6 million grant reported as 53% of the US$11 million project investment; ENDE supplied the balance. [7]

Organization

Isotron S.A.U. (Isastur Group)

Turnkey EPC contractor for the solar, storage, stabilization, SCADA, and grid-integration project. [8][3][5]

Organization

Saft

Supplier of two Intensium Max lithium-ion battery containers used for power smoothing and spinning-reserve support. [5][6]

Organization

SMA

Publicly named participant; role not specified in the recovered record [1]

Organization

SMA Solar Technology

Supplier of PV inverters, battery inverters, and the Fuel Save Controller integrating solar, storage, and diesel operation. [3][4]

Organization

Yingli Green Energy

PV-module supplier for the approximately 5.1-5.2 MWp array. [9][10]

System evidence

Energy mix, capacity, and specifications

Values can describe different project phases, generation sources, storage systems, or other components. Source citations are attached to each figure so discrepancies remain visible.

KW Solar
5200 [1]
KW Gas/Diesel
15200 [1]
Storage
1200 kWh [1]
Solar PV capacity
5.2 MWp in the SMA design record; ENDE's current operating page rounds the installed rating to 5 MWp and the 2015 inauguration account gives nearly 5.1 MW [3][2][7]
Battery storage
2.2 MW / 1.16 MWh from two Saft Intensium Max 20M containers, each 1.1 MW peak and 580 kWh; commonly rounded to 1.2 MWh [5][6][3]
Diesel generation
15.2 MVA installed genset rating in SMA's system reference; the plant remains diesel-supported and does not use diesel-off mode [3][4]
Expected annual solar yield
7,500 MWh/year design value [3][8]
Reported 2015 PV penetration
40% in a 2018 Saft project presentation; no current annual Cobija-specific mix was located [6][11]
Fuel displacement claim
Approximately 1.8-1.9 million liters of diesel per year, reported as a project estimate/early operating claim rather than independently audited current savings [7][4][6]

Controls and hardware

Equipment and controller details

Manufacturer and model are shown only when a source names them. Generic descriptions are not converted into guessed product assignments.

01

PV modules

Yingli Green Energy — YL300P-35b

17,040 polycrystalline modules rated 300 Wp, wired in 18-module series strings; arithmetic nameplate is 5.112 MWp while SMA describes the plant as 5.2 MWp. [10][8][9]

02

PV inverters

SMA Solar Technology — Sunny Central SC800CP-XT

Six central inverters in SMA's current reference, with 4.8 MW aggregate AC output. [3][10]

03

Battery containers

Saft — Intensium Max 20M Medium Power

Two lithium-ion containers, each 580 kWh and 1.1 MW peak, installed adjacent to the diesel station for fast stabilization. [5][10]

04

Battery inverters

SMA Solar Technology — Sunny Central Storage SCS630

Four large-scale battery inverters in SMA's system reference; commissioning-era secondary descriptions vary in how they group the inverter units. [3][4]

05

Hybrid controller

SMA Solar Technology — Fuel Save Controller

Calculates permissible PV injection from real-time grid energy flows and coordinates batteries to smooth PV/load fluctuations while maintaining diesel stability. [3][4][2]

06

SCADA and stabilization balance of plant

Isotron S.A.U.

Turnkey scope included SCADA, three transformer units, and a stabilization system reported at 2.3 MVA. [8]

Technical record

Architecture, performance, and project updates

Concise technical facts, milestones, operating results, and later developments. Dated notes distinguish historical design claims from current evidence.

  • Storage

    Li Battery – Saft intensium [1]

  • Architecture

    The PV field is a few kilometers from the diesel station, while the two battery arrays sit beside the diesels. SMA control limits solar injection and uses fast battery response to manage ramps, load variation, and loss of the single solar interconnection line. [4][10][2]

  • Diesel-off limitation

    SMA clarified in 2020 that Dynamic Genset Shutdown was not implemented because it was unavailable when the plant was built; full diesel-off operation would require larger PV/storage and grid-forming battery inverters. [4]

  • Commissioning phases

    SMA dates initial operation to December 2014 after a nine-month delivery effort. ENDE's July 2015 ceremony inaugurated the second phase, explaining why public sources cite both 2014 and 2015. [3][4][7]

  • Current operation

    ENDE Guaracachi's current page identifies two battery-bank arrays and regulation that optimizes PV penetration and diesel savings. Bolivia's 2024 regulator account separately lists Guaracachi as Cobija solar operator, corroborating continuing service. [2][11]

  • Current performance gap

    The 2024 regulator publishes an aggregate mix for all Bolivian isolated systems, not a Cobija-only annual mix. Early design yield, fuel savings, and 2015 PV penetration therefore remain dated rather than being presented as 2024 performance. [11][3][6]

Provenance

11 sources

Primary owner, government, university, supplier, and engineering sources are preferred. Archived references preserve claims whose original pages moved or disappeared.

  1. [1]
    Recovered Microgrid Projects record

    Internet Archive · Archived source · captured 2021-04-20

  2. [2]
    Solar Fotovoltaica Cobija

    ENDE Guaracachi · Primary source

  3. [3]
    Hybrid Energy Supply for the City of Cobija, Bolivia

    SMA Solar Technology · Primary source

  4. [4]
  5. [5]
  6. [6]
  7. [7]
    Inauguration: Cobija Solar Photovoltaic Plant

    ENDE Corporación · Primary source

  8. [8]
  9. [9]
  10. [10]
    Cobija photovoltaic-diesel hybrid plant technical account

    Energías Renovables · Secondary research

  11. [11]
    Technical characteristics and production data for isolated systems, 2024

    Bolivia Electricity and Nuclear Technology Regulatory Authority · Primary source

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