Solar power in Chile

Chilean solar potential

Solar power in Chile has the potential of producing all of the electricity used in Chile. Northern Chile has the highest solar incidence in the world.[1] In October 2015 Chile's Ministry of Energy announced its "Roadmap to 2050: A Sustainable and Inclusive Strategy", which plans for 19% of the country's electricity to be from solar energy, 23% wind power and 29% hydroelectric power.[2]

In June 2014, the 100-megawatt (MW) Amanecer Solar CAP, a photovoltaic power plant located near Copiapó in the Atacama Desert was inaugurated. It was developed by the company with the same name, Amanecer Solar CAP, and was the largest in Latin America at the time. It is capable of generating 270 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity per year.[3][4]

Solar car developed by the University of Chile

The 70 MW photovoltaic Salvador Solar Park went online in November 2014, followed by an official inauguration ceremony on January 23rd, 2015.[5] It was expected to produce 200 GWh of electricity per year. The plant is located approximately 5 kilometres south of El Salvador, in the Atacama region. It is one of the first in the world to supply competitively priced solar energy to the open market without government subsidy.[6]

The 60 MW photovoltaic Lalackama I plant went online in 2014 and is expected to produce 160 GWh of electricity per year. The 18 MW Lalackama II plant is located nearby and is capable of generating approximately 50 GWh per year.[7][8]

The 141 MW photovoltaic Luz Del Norte (Light of the North) plant, located 58 kilometres northeast of the city of Copiapó in the Atacama region, began construction in October 2014 and is scheduled for completion in December 2015.[9]

The Atacama 1 solar complex was proposed as a 110 MW solar thermal electric plant (the first in Latin America) and a 100 MW photovoltaic plant. The solar thermal plant will include 17.5 hours of thermal storage. These technologies complement each other to supply clean and stable energy 24 hours a day. The complex is located in the commune of María Elena, Segunda Región. Construction of the solar thermal electric plant commenced in 2014 and the plant is scheduled to begin operating in the second quarter of 2017. Construction of the photovoltaic plant commenced in January 2015 and the plant began operating in June 2016 with 160 MW of panels, the largest solar plant in Chile at the time.[10][11]

The 246MW El Romero solar photovoltaic plant open in November 2016 at Vallenar in the Atacama region[12] It was the largest solar farm in Latin America when it opened.

In 2016, SolarPack won an electricity auction by bidding $29.1/MWh;[13] a record low price.[14]

Irradiance and installed capacity

Source: NREL[15]
Chile Photovoltaics Capacity (MWp)[16]
End of the year Installed capacity operating Under construction Presented for environmental assessement
2011 0 1 <769
2012 2 2.5 4,109
2013 6.7 128 8,184
2014 362 983 12,559
2015 750 2380 15,769[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Inter-American Development Bank (Dec 15, 2011). "Renewable energy to power irrigation in the Atacama desert". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Chile sets 70 pct. non-conventional renewable energy target for 2050, Fox News Latino from EFE, September 30, 2015
  3. ↑ "President Bachelet of Chile Inaugurates Latin America's Largest Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant". Newswire.ca. 6 June 2014.
  4. ↑ "Chile Solar Power Plant Is Now Latin America's Largest". 9 June 2014.
  5. ↑ Etrion Announces Completion of 70 MW Solar Park in Chile, Etrion (press release), 04 November 2014
  6. ↑ Total and SunPower Celebrate Completion of 70-megawatt PV Salvador solar power plant in Chile, SunPower Corp., January 23, 2015
  7. ↑ "EGP's largest solar plant is in Chile".
  8. ↑ "ENEL GREEN POWER BRINGS NEW PHOTOVOLTAIC PLANT ONLINE IN CHILE".
  9. ↑ "First solar panel for the 141 Megawatt (MW)ac Luz del Norte Solar Power plant in Chile - REVE".
  10. ↑ "Abengoa :: Press Room :: News :: News Archive :: 2015 :: January".
  11. ↑ Saurabh Mahapatra (2016-06-01). "Enel Commissions Its Largest Solar PV Project In Chile". CleanTechnica.
  12. ↑ Chile connects Latin America's largest solar plant to the national grid, MercoPress, November 14th 2016
  13. ↑ "Licitaciones: piso ofertas es de US$ 29 y Colbún entre las más afectadas".
  14. ↑ "Wind Energy Scores Big In Chile's Electricity Auction". CleanTechies. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  15. ↑ "PV Watts". NREL. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  16. ↑ Centro de Energías Renovables, CORFO (July 2014). "Reporte CER". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  17. ↑ "Reporte CIFES (Diciembre 2015)". Centro Nacional para la Innovación y Fomento de las Energías Sustentables - Comité CORFO. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
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