Chile

An international research group has analyzed a vertical bifacial agrivoltaics system in a drought-stricken part of Chile. They say that the solar array can improve water efficiency for crop irrigation, while the vertical system configuration optimizes PV power generation throughout the day, minimizing curtailment.

Norwegian researchers say blue and green hydrogen could complement each other in the future, but early adoption of green hydrogen could result in increased hydrogen production and emissions.

Enel Green Power has switched on the 398 MW Guanchoi solar plant in Chile’s Atacama region.

Researchers in Spain have investigated how climate change may possibly impact solar power generation in the world’s region with the highest solar radiation levels – the Atacama desert in northern Chile. They found that, although global warming has the potential to impact solar power generation in the Atacama region, the desert will still retain exceptional conditions for solar power production.

AES Corp. has switched on a 180 MW solar plant connected to 112 MWh of storage in Chile. The project in the Atacama Desert is Latin America’s largest solar plant to be linked to battery storage.

The European Commission and the European Investment Bank have agreed to collaborate with Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on hydrogen, while Masdar, Mitsubishi and Inpex have said that they will use green hydrogen to produce e-methane and polypropylene.

The Chilean authorities want to contract 5,400 GWh of power from renewable energy, while also including battery storage. The selected developers will secure 20-year power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Chile reached record levels of PV curtailment in the first five months of this year. The amount of renewable energy that could not be integrated into the electricity grid hit 735 GWh, up 86% from the same period in 2022.

The European Commission has agreed to ramp up hydrogen sector investments in Chile, Argentina, and Brazil, while Norsk Hydro has successfully produced the world’s first batch of recycled aluminum with hydrogen-fueled production methods.

The Chilean authorities plan to hold the first procurement exercise for large-scale storage projects in 2024, with the first systems expected to go online in 2026.