Chile makes the leap to green energy with the Copiapó Solar project

The Latin American country gives the green light to a new concentrated solar power plant that will allow the storage of green energy for its proper distribution.

Chile, the country with thehighest solar radiation in the worldIt is taking giant steps towards achieving a very ambitious renewable energy quota. The South American country seems determined to make progress.firm stepsthat will allow us to reach the ambitious goals that, for the moment, exist only on paper. In fact, its objective is to reach70% green energy by 2050.

This is evidenced by the new project recently announced by the Chilean government: Copiapó Solar. This facility will become operational in 2019. And it will add260 MW of green energyto its energy production mix.

The new installation departs from traditional photovoltaics. And it focuses on…technologyConcentrated Solar Power (CSP). Which allows the management of generated energy based on the gradual demand of the main consumers.

This new plant operates using molten salt tanks. It will provide approximately 13 continuous hours of green energy storage, allowing it to supply power to the electrical grid during peak periods.24hof the day.

The estimated investment is around$2 billionand will generate approximately 1,200 jobs during its construction. Likewise, the price per MWh obtained is63$, with the unique feature of its 24/7 generation.

Source: SolarReserve

Copiapó Solar, the beginning of a roadmap for Chilean green energy

The new plant, promoted by the companySolarReserve, will be located in the heartAtacama Desert, one of the sunniest areas in the world, and will allow the production of more than1,800 gigawatt hours (GWh)per year, which will ensure the supply of green energy to approximately 560,000 Chilean homes. To achieve this, the plant will feature two solar concentration towers surrounded by the characteristic solar fields formed by heliostat panels.

SolarReserve, a US company that is making a smart bet on the commercialization of green energy, began operations in 2008 and currently has up tothree projects of this type on Chilean soilThus, it has an advanced stage of development in its projectsTamarugal Solar, with 390 MWof power in CSP and with approved RCA, in the Tarapacá region,Likan Solar,based in the Antofagasta region and with390 MWvalidated CSP and RCA power, and Copiapó Solar.

With this project, which adds to the efforts made so far by Chile, the Latin American country will surpass the current17% of green energy generationwhich it currently holds, far exceeding the 20% set for 2025 and gradually approaching 70% by 2050.