The effects of coal dust on solar PV plants
An international research team studied the solar PV impact of emissions from a coal-fired power plant in the Atacama Desert, finding that after five months of exposure, the deposited dust on co-located PV panels reached a maximum of 1.63 mg/cm2 with a 23 % reduction in photocurrent. The accumulation at the co-located plant was 3 times greater than nearby PV sites with similar coastal climate conditions.
The Hydrogen Stream: Chile selects electrolyzer companies for local assembly
Chile’s economic development agency Corfo has selected three companies – two Chinese and one Spanish – to build electrolyzer production facilities in the country. The projects, set to begin operations by mid-2026, will assemble alkaline and proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers ranging from 50 kW to 5 MW.
Dual-component controller for three-phase solar inverters can reduce overshoot to less than 0.33%
An international research team has conceived a dual-component controller for three-phase inverters that can reportedly achieve faster settling times, reduced overshoot and more stable current tracking compared to conventional controllers.
Chile reels from impact of massive power outage
On February 25, more than 90% of the population was left without electricity. President Gabriel Boric described the event as “outrageous,” while electrical trade associations have requested greater supervision and improvements in the infrastructure to avoid future incidents.
Challenges of dismantling abandoned wind and solar farms
Researchers studying decommissioned wind and solar farms in Italy, Spain, Venezuela, and Argentina have found that weak regulations risk leaving more abandoned assets in their wake.
Chile deploys 2.14 GW of solar in 2024
Chile installed 2.14 GW of new solar in 2024, bringing its total installed PV capacity to 10.5 GW by year-end, according to the National Energy Commission (CNE).
More than 3.4 GWh of Chilean batteries enter environmental assessment
Six applications for standalone and solar-linked battery energy storage systems (BESS) were submitted for environmental permits from Jan. 23 to Jan. 30.
Argentina achieves renewables record in November with installed solar at nearly 2 GW
Renewable energy sources accounted for a total generation of 2,249 GW/h, of which 68% came from wind and almost 20% from photovoltaics, according to a report from the Argentine Wholesale Electricity Market Clearing Company. In addition, PV capacity is expected to surpass 2 GW in the coming months.
Led by PV, renewables in Chile account for 50% of installed capacity
The latest report from the National Electric Coordinator allocates renewable energy sources 37.78% of electricity generation for the month of November.
Chile has 15 GW of energy storage under environmental permitting
The Chilean Association of Renewable Energy and Storage (Acera) says 3 GW of energy storage projects have gotten off the ground and another 15 GW are at the environmental permitting stage.
