Solar panels at Chile photovoltaic base

Which is the largest solar PV plant in Chile?

Despite being the largest solar PV plant in Chile with 480MW capacity, CEME1 is not the company’s largest solar PV project in the country. Also located in the region of Antofagasta, Generadora Metropolitana is developing an 800MW solar-plus-storage project, which received a positive environmental process in November 2022.

How much does it cost to build Chile's largest solar PV plant?

The construction of that plant will require an investment of US$480 million. Chilean energy developer Generadora Metropolitana has started the energisation process of Chile's 'largest' solar PV plant (480MW).

How much solar power does Chile use?

It uses 776,000 polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic modules. The solar irradiance has been measured at 853 W/m2 Chile has decided to use its abundant sun and wind to phase out coal-fired power by 2040 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Chile generated roughly 7 percent of its electricity from solar power in 2018.

Where is FPV installed in Chile?

The largest FPV installation in Chile has a capacity of 230 kW p and is installed in San Felipe in central Chile on a water pond for the irrigation of a vineyard . Hence, while we have seen FPV activity in Chile, there exists a lot of untapped potential in the country that is affected by drought.

How much does a ground-mounted PV system cost in Chile?

As a reference, the cost for ground-mounted PV systems with east–west tracking and bifacial module technology that represents the industry standard for grid-injecting PV power plants to date in Chile is assumed at 816 USD kW p-1.

Does Chile have FPV potential?

Although there is growing interest in FPV, there has been no structured analysis of Chile's technical and economic potential. We provide the first national-level estimate of FPV potential, using filtered geo-datasets and meteorological data to compute PV yields and impact on water evaporation.