AES Andes powers up 211-MW solar farm with BESS in Atacama Desert
Latin American utility AES Andes SA on Tuesday announced the start of commercial operation of its Andes Solar IV power complex, featuring 211 MW of photovoltaic panels and a 130-MW battery energy storage system (BESS) in the middle of the Atacama Desert in the Chilean region of Antofagasta.
HyEx: ammonia from the Chilean desert
This sets the stage for Chile to produce its own ammonia from renewable energy. Chile has some of the best solar potential globally. The Atacama desert in Chile''s north boasts a solar capacity factor of 37% and
Solar power in Chile
Solar power in Chile is an increasingly important source of energy. Total installed photovoltaic (PV) capacity in Chile reached 8.36 GW in 2023. [ 1 ] Solar energy provided 19.9% of national electricity generation in Chile in 2023, compared to less than 0.1% in 2013.
BYD to supply first 1.1GWh of BESS for ''world''s largest energy
The project, which was revealed by Grenergy in November 2023, will pair 1GW of solar PV with 4.1GWh of energy storage, which the company said makes it the largest energy storage projects in the world. "The agreement with a leading company like BYD demonstrates our firm commitment to energy storage and represents a major step forward in securing the supply
Grenergy secures financing for first phases of
The financing covers phases one and two of its Oasis de Atacama battery energy storage system (BESS) project, totalling 244MWp of solar and 1.24GWh of BESS capacity. Long-term, the project aims to reach 4.1GWh of BESS capacity. Chinese EV and BESS firm BYD looks set to supply the BESS for those first phases of the project, which should be
14th Dii Desert Energy Hydrogen Leadership Summit
The UNIDO hydrogen team was pleased to be a supporting partner of the 14th Dii Desert Energy Leadership Summit, joining hands with leaders from the public and private sectors to drive net-zero industrial development and an inclusive hydrogen transition. UNIDO''s Managing Director, Gunther Beger and Petra Schwager, Chief of the Climate and Technology
The Atacama Desert in Chile: a Place Out of This World
đź“Ť Where is the Atacama Desert in Chile? The Atacama Desert is all the way in the north of Chile. The closest large city is Antofogasta, and the main town that people stay in while visiting the Atacama Desert in Chile is San Pedro de Atacama. The whole area covered is a whopping 104,741 km², lying between the coast and the Andes mountains.
Photovoltaic power resource at the Atacama Desert under climate
The region of study is the Atacama Desert (see Fig. 1), an arid region in northern Chile that is 1,000 to 1,100 km long from north to south. The Atacama Desert is on the west slope of the central Andes between 15 °S and 30 °S at elevations between sea level and 3500 m above sea level [35]. The coast range covers around 1,500 m in elevation
Chile''s lithium dreams raise water concerns in the
As night falls in Chile''s Atacama desert, the world''s driest, a drilling machine extracts brine to measure levels of lithium—a crucial mineral for the global switch to cleaner energy, but harmful in its own way. This site
How Chile is becoming a leader in renewable energy
Chile''s clean energy transition has been broadly supported by parties from across the political spectrum and backed by the public. 91% of Chileans believe that climate change should be treated as a government priority, according to the Yale Program for Climate Change Communication.Last December, Chile''s centre-right government published the country''s first
Colbún inaugurates first of 800MW energy storage projects, in Chile
An aerial view of the 230MW PV, 32MWh energy storage project in the Atacama desert. Image: Colbún S.A. Utility Colbún has inaugurated a solar-plus-storage project with a 32MWh battery energy storage system in the Atacama region, the first of an 800MW deployment target. The Diego de Almagro project is a 330-hectare site comprising 470,000
Chile''s bold goals for energy revolution secure its lead
Chile plans to transform an old coal plant into a massive renewable energy storage system using those same solar salts extracted from the Atacama Desert. When heated by the sun''s rays, these salts can store energy
In Chile''s Atacama Desert, a cautionary tale for bold renewable energy
Rising out of Chile''s Atacama desert, the half-built Cerro Dominador solar tower reflects the challenge the South American country faces as it races to meet some of the most ambitious renewables
Green Hydrogen and Chile''s Energy Transition
The transformation of Chile''s energy sector, which has involved changing the power generation mix to incorporate solar and wind power, has been the result of collaboration between the public and private sectors. "Chilean firm, Mabanaft sign MoU for green-methanol-to-fuel project," Independent Commodity Intelligence Services, January
How Chile is becoming a leader in renewable energy
Chile has set an ambitious goal of converting 70% of its total energy consumption to renewables by 2030 and pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050. The country''s energy transition strategy has evolved in recent
Chile
Therefore, projects in small hydropower, biomass, biogas, wind, and solar energy have received increased government and private-sector support. U.S. firms have done particularly well in the area of PV/solar energy, with significant investments in Northern Chile''s Atacama Desert, which has among the best profiles for solar energy on Earth.
SUSTAINTABLE ENERGIES IN CHILE
The first major generator of sustainable energy in Chile that we want to tell you about is located less than 60 km from the city of Calama, in the north of Chile. The Cerro Dominador solar complex has 392,000 solar panels spread over 1,000 hectares, capable of producing 100 MW, which avoids the emission of around 870,000 tons of CO2 per year.
AES Andes gets green light for jumbo solar-BESS
South American utility AES Andes has secured environmental approval for its king-sized Cristales solar-plus-storage project located in Chile''s Antofagasta commune. Situated in the Atacama Desert, the project will build a
Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert (Spanish: Desierto de Atacama) is a desert plateau located on the Pacific coast of South America, in the north of Chile.Stretching over a 1,600-kilometre-long (1,000-mile) strip of land west of the Andes Mountains, it covers an area of 105,000 km 2 (41,000 sq mi), [2] which increases to 128,000 km 2 (49,000 sq mi) if the barren lower slopes of the Andes are
HyEx: ammonia from the Chilean desert
This sets the stage for Chile to produce its own ammonia from renewable energy. Chile has some of the best solar potential globally. The Atacama desert in Chile''s north boasts a solar capacity factor of 37% and solar irradiation of 275 W/m 2.Where wind power is concerned, the Magallanes area in southern Chile boasts wind capacity factors in excess of 70%.
THE FLOWERING DESERT IN NORTHERN CHILE
Services. Coaching; Outdoor Recreation; Speaking; There''s a climate phenomenon that occasionally turns the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile, the world''s driest desert, into a diverse and gorgeous flower garden. Normally, the Atacama Desert gets less than a 1/2 inch (12mm) of rain a year. The energy of the Atacama desert in Northern
IPP Innergex commissions second large-scale Chile
The 5-hour duration project is located in the Atacama Desert, often called the sunniest place in the world, and will participate in the country''s electricity market via energy trading and shift the PV plant''s generation from
El Romero Photovoltaic Solar Plant, Atacama Desert,
El Romero is a 246MW photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant being developed in the Vallenar municipality in the Atacama Desert, Chile. The project is being touted as Latin America''s biggest PV plant and one of the ten
Energy Storage''s Next Evolution Is Unfolding in
Chile has long been a pioneer in adopting renewable energy and energy storage – dating back to the world''s first commercial grid-scale battery-based energy storage system in 2009 – setting an example for other
World''s largest energy storage system is being built in
Spanish green energy producer Grenergy has begun the construction of an energy storage facility in Chile''s Atacama Desert. The Oasis de Atacama project, at 4.1 GWh, will be the largest in the world, the company
How chemistry shaped societies: the case of the Atacama Desert in Chile
A lot of energy is needed to obtain green hydrogen by electrolysis, and Chile hopes that one way to obtain that energy is from the sun and the wind . The high irradiance levels in the Atacama Desert make solar energy the ideal solution; thus, a 110 MW concentrated solar power plant using molten salt technology is being developed at Maria Elena
6 FAQs about [Chile desert energy services]
How does Chile benefit from solar energy?
The country benefits from consistently strong winds in mountainous region of Patagonia and some of the world’s highest levels of solar radiation in the Atacama Desert. This predictable supply of wind and solar energy has led the Chilean government to estimate that 13% of the world’s green hydrogen will be produced within its borders.
Is there an alternative to solar energy in Chile?
Chile has begun to explore an alternative. Both Cerro Dominador and the Alba Project are powered by so-called solar salts, extracted from the Atacama Desert, composed of potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate. When melted and kept in a liquid state, they allow energy to be stored.
Does Chile have a solar thermal tower?
Chile’s Atacama desert is home to the only solar thermal tower in Latin America. The imposing 240-meter construction is one of the pillars of the country’s ambitious green energy program that began in 2019 and aims to completely replace fossil fuels by 2040.
Will Chile replace coal plants with solar thermal plants?
As coal plants are eliminated, Chile intends to replace them with solar thermal plants or convert them into batteries like the Alba Project. The solar thermal tower Cerro Dominador has become a symbol of Chile’s energy revolution against climate change.
Why are solar panels important to Chile's green hydrogen industry?
Solar panels pictured in Chile's Atacama Desert are crucial to the country's green hydrogen industry. Chile has set an ambitious goal of converting 70% of its total energy consumption to renewables by 2030 and pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050.
Will Chile achieve net-zero emissions by 2050?
Last December, Chile’s centre-right government published the country’s first energy transition strategy, which provided targets for achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, including accelerating solar, wind and geothermal energy across the country.