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Solar power in Chile

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Chilean solar potential

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.[2]

In October 2015 Chile's Ministry of Energy announced its "Roadmap to 2050: A Sustainable and Inclusive Strategy", which planned for 19% of the country's electricity to be from solar energy, 23% wind power, and 29% hydroelectric power.[3]

In November 2024, Chile's solar power generation capacity was projected to quadruple until 2060, in order to help decarbonize Chile's electricity generation. Energy storage will play a key role in taking in excess supply during the day and releasing it during the night. Due to its high solar potential, solar power developments will likely grow most in the north. Solar generation is expected to contribute 46% of Chile's electricity in 2060.[4]

Solar resource

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Northern Chile has the highest solar incidence in the world.[5]

Source: NREL[6]

Photovoltaics, annual capacity

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Chile Photovoltaics Capacity (MWp)[7]
End of the year Installed capacity operating Under construction Presented for environmental assessment
2011 0 1 <769
2012 2 2.5 4,109
2013 6.7 128 8,184
2014 362 983 12,559
2015 750 2380 15,769[8]
2023 8500[9] 7729 ?

Early photovoltaics projects

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Solar car developed by the University of Chile

In June 2014, the 100-megawatt (MW) Amanecer Solar CAP, a photovoltaic power plant located near Copiapó in the Atacama Desert was inaugurated. It was developed by the company with the same name, Amanecer Solar CAP, and was the largest in Latin America at the time. It is capable of generating 270 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity per year.[10][11]

The 70 MW photovoltaic Salvador Solar Park went online in November 2014, followed by an official inauguration ceremony on 23 January 2015.[12] It was expected to produce 200 GWh of electricity per year. The plant is located approximately 5 kilometres south of El Salvador, in the Atacama region. It is one of the first in the world to supply competitively priced solar energy to the open market without government subsidy.[13]

The 60 MW photovoltaic Lalackama I plant went online in 2014 and is expected to produce 160 GWh of electricity per year. The nearby 18 MW Lalackama II plant went online in May 2015 and is capable of generating approximately 50 GWh per year.[14][15][16] Both plants feature photovoltaic inverters designed and manufactured by Elettronica Santerno,[17] an Italian company.

The 141 MW photovoltaic Luz Del Norte (Light of the North) plant, located 58 kilometres northeast of the city of Copiapó in the Atacama region, began construction in October 2014 and is scheduled for completion in December 2015.[18] It uses more than 1.7 million cadmium telluride modules.[19] The first two blocks of this project (approximately half of the project's total capacity) was connected to Chile's central power grid in October 2015.[20] The plant supplies ancillary grid services.[21]

The 79 MW Pampa Norte PV solar plant began operating in April 2016 at a site 32 kilometres southwest of Taltal in Chile's Antofagasta Region. It uses approximately 258,000 polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic modules and is capable of generating more than 200 GWh per year.[22] The plant was developed by Enel Green Power and features photovoltaic inverters designed and manufactured by Elettronica Santerno.[17][23]

The 97 MW Carrera Pinto photovoltaic plant is located 60 kilometres from the city of Copiapó in the Atacama Region. The first 20 MW of the plant was connected to the grid in early January 2016, with the remaining 77 MW connected in August 2016. The plant is capable of generating over 260 GWh per year.[24][25]

The 246 MW El Romero single-axis tracking solar photovoltaic plant began operating in November 2016 at Vallenar in the Atacama region, with a 493 GWh annual average output.[26][27] It was the largest solar farm in Latin America when it opened. It uses 776,000 polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic modules. The solar irradiance has been measured at 853 W/m2.[28]

In 2016, SolarPack won an electricity auction by bidding $29.1/MWh;[29] a record low price.[30] In March 2020 PV Magazine reported that Solarpack had begun providing power on 2 March 2020, to the Chilean grid from its 123 MW Granja project, 10 months ahead of the contracted date of 1 January 2021. With that, Solarpack raised its total operating capacity in Chile at the time to 181 MW.[31]

Solar thermal power

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Heliostats at Cerro Dominador Solar Thermal Plant

In 2013 the Atacama 1 solar complex was proposed as a 110 MW solar thermal electric plant (the first in Latin America) and a 100 MW photovoltaic plant. The solar thermal plant will include 17.5 hours of thermal storage. These technologies complement each other to supply clean and stable energy 24 hours a day. The complex is located in the commune of María Elena, Segunda Región. Construction of the solar thermal electric plant commenced in 2014 and the plant was scheduled to begin operating in the second quarter of 2017, but got delayed significantly. Construction of the photovoltaic plant commenced in January 2015 and the plant began operating in June 2016 with 160 MW of panels, the largest solar plant in Chile at the time.[32][33] By the end of 2020 the project was fully erected under the name Cerro Dominador Solar Thermal Plant and is expected to fully operate in 2021.

Because of its good solar resource several international companies have bid record low prices for solar thermal power plants in Chile, including the Copiapó Solar Project bid at $63/MWh by SolarReserve in 2017. If realized this would have been the lowest ever price for a CSP project in the world. Several CSP projects are under development in Chile, but in the absence of technology specific support policies Cerro Dominador is the only one under construction, yet.

Batteries

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Some solar facilities also have batteries connected,[34] as they can deliver power after sunset when prices are higher.[35] During 2024, 5.9 TWh of electricity was curtailed (mainly solar in the north) due to insufficient transmission, an increase from 2.7 TWh in 2023.[36]

The Oasis de Atacama is a project with up to 2 GW of solar power and 11 GWh of storage. By early 2025, the first phases (Quillagua and Víctor Jara) were being tested,[37] using Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.[38]

Largest battery storage power plants by storage capacity
Name Commissioning date Energy (MWh) Power (MW) Duration (hours) Type Solar plant (MW) Location/coords Refs
Andes Solar IV 2024 650 130 5 Lithium-ion 211 Calama [39][40]
Andes Solar IIB 2023 560 112 5 Lithium-ion 180 Antofagasta [41][42]
Coya 2024 638 139 4.5 181 María Elena [43]
Tamaya 2025 418 68 6 114 Antofagasta replaces diesel[44]
El Manzano 2025 134 67 2 99 Tiltil [45]
Salvador 2023 250 50 5 68 Diego de Almagro [46]

Under construction

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Largest battery power plants under construction
Name Planned
commissioning date 		Energy (MWh) Power (MW) Duration (hours) Type Solar plant (MW) Location Refs
CEME1 2026 1700 480 María Elena [47]
Mesembria 2025 1607 [48]
Víctor Jara (Oasis de Atacama) 2025 1300 231 Tarapacá Region [49]
Quillagua (Oasis de Atacama) 2025 1200 200 6 221 María Elena [49]
Arena 2026 1100 220 5 0 Antofagasta [50]
2026 1000 220 Tarapacá [51]
Celda 2026 912 228 4 Camarones [48]
Capricornio 2025 264 48 5 88 Antofagasta [43][52]
Huatacondo 2026 312 98 3 LFP 103 Tarapacá [53][52]
2025 100 31 [[]]

Planned

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Largest battery storage power plants planned
Name Planned
Commissioning date 		Energy (MWh) Power (MW) Duration (hours) Type Solar plant (MW) Location/coords Refs
Parque Híbrido Pampas 2027 3120 624 5 252 + 140 MW wind Taltal [54]
Cristales 2027 2710 542 5 340 Antofagasta [54][40]
La Isla 2027 1250 250 5 LFP 0 Llay-Llay [55]
Los Boldos 2027 1236 252 4.5 300 Petorca Province [48]
Sol del Desierto 800 200 4 Lithium-ion 244 [56]
Nueva Pozo Almonte substation 2026 762 190 4 LFP 0 Pozo Almonte [57]
Granja 2026 420 105 4 123 Pozo Almonte [58]
Llanos de Rungue - Halcón 9 367 69 4 280 Andacollo [59]
Quinquimo 2026 200 90 2 Lithium-ion 90 Valparaíso Region [56]
2025 100 31 [[]]

See also

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Further reading

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  • Stillings, Jamey; Missana, Sergio (2023). Atacama: renewable energy and mining in the high desert of Chile (First ed.). Göttingen, Germany: Steidl. ISBN 9783958297081.

References

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  1. ^ "Solar photovoltaic energy capacity in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2023, by country or territory". Statista. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Share of electricity production from solar: Chile". Our World in Data. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  3. ^ Chile sets 70 pct. non-conventional renewable energy target for 2050, Fox News Latino from EFE, 30 September 2015
  4. ^ Zlatkova, Misha (6 November 2024). "What does Chile's Solar-Powered Future look like?". Aurora Energy Research. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  5. ^ Inter-American Development Bank (15 December 2011). "Renewable energy to power irrigation in the Atacama desert". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  6. ^ "PV Watts". NREL. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  7. ^ Centro de Energías Renovables, CORFO (July 2014). "Reporte CER". Archived from the original on 6 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  8. ^ "Reporte CIFES (Diciembre 2015)". Centro Nacional para la Innovación y Fomento de las Energías Sustentables - Comité CORFO. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  9. ^ "Chile's 2023 solar installations hit 1.65 GW". pv magazine. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  10. ^ "President Bachelet of Chile Inaugurates Latin America's Largest Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant". Newswire.ca. 6 June 2014.
  11. ^ "Chile Solar Power Plant Is Now Latin America's Largest". 9 June 2014.
  12. ^ Etrion Announces Completion of 70 MW Solar Park in Chile, Etrion (press release), 4 November 2014
  13. ^ Total and SunPower Celebrate Completion of 70-megawatt PV Salvador solar power plant in Chile, SunPower Corp., 23 January 2015
  14. ^ "EGP's largest solar plant is in Chile".
  15. ^ "ENEL GREEN POWER BRINGS NEW PHOTOVOLTAIC PLANT ONLINE IN CHILE".
  16. ^ "Enel Green hooks to grid 18-MW PV plant in Chile". SeeNews. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  17. ^ a b "Elettronica Santerno website". santerno.com.
  18. ^ "First solar panel for the 141 Megawatt (MW)ac Luz del Norte Solar Power plant in Chile - REVE".
  19. ^ "Luz del Norte Solar Project". First Solar. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  20. ^ "First Solar Connects Luz del Norte to Chilean Central Grid". Business Wire. 28 October 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  21. ^ Hill, Joshua S (25 August 2020). "Chilean solar plant world's first to deliver grid services". RenewEconomy. Archived from the original on 25 August 2020.
  22. ^ "Enel Starts Production at Pampa Norte PV Plant in Chile". Enel Green Power. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  23. ^ "Estudio de Coordinación de Protecciones" (PDF). coordinadorelectrico.cl.
  24. ^ "Enel Green Power's Carrera Pinto PV Plant in Chile Starts Producing Energy". Enel Green Power. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  25. ^ "Enel Starts Production at 97 MW Carrera Pinto PV Plant in Chile". Enel Green Power. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  26. ^ Chile connects Latin America's largest solar plant to the national grid, MercoPress, 14 November 2016
  27. ^ "El Romero Solar PV Plant". Acciona Energy. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  28. ^ "Acciona and Spanish university claim world record solar generation measurement in Chile". Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  29. ^ "Licitaciones: piso ofertas es de US$ 29 y Colbún entre las más afectadas".
  30. ^ "Wind Energy Scores Big In Chile's Electricity Auction". CleanTechies. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  31. ^ "Entra en operación una planta fotovoltaica de 123 MW en Chile". 9 March 2020.
  32. ^ "Abengoa :: Press Room :: News :: News Archive :: 2015 :: January".
  33. ^ Saurabh Mahapatra (1 June 2016). "Enel Commissions Its Largest Solar PV Project In Chile". CleanTechnica.
  34. ^ "Chile Launches Largest Solar Battery Storage Facility in Latin AmericaRenewables". www.netzerocircle.org. 17 April 2024.
  35. ^ Maisch, Marija (3 April 2025). "Battery returns vary throughout Chile, solar colocation can double revenues, Aurora finds". Energy Storage.
  36. ^ Djunisic, Sladjana (26 February 2025). "Chile curtails record 653 GWh of renewable power in Jan | Renewable Energy News | Renewables Now". renewablesnow.com.
  37. ^ Tourino, Jonathan (11 April 2025). "ContourGlobal brings online Chile solar-plus-storage project, Latin America's 'largest'". Energy-Storage.News.
  38. ^ "Grenergy, CATL seal 1.25 GWh battery supply deal for Oasis de Atacama". Energy Storage. 29 October 2024.
  39. ^ Directors, Hydro Review Content (12 August 2022). "Report lists Chile's top five generators by capacity, projects under construction". Hydro Review. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  40. ^ a b Ini, Luis (24 October 2024). "AES Andes switches on Solar IV park, 650 MWh battery storage in Chile". Energy Storage.
  41. ^ Colthorpe, Andy (19 October 2020). "AES begins work on 560MWh 'largest battery system in Latin America' for solar and wind in Chile". Energy Storage News.
  42. ^ Tourino, Jonathan (27 July 2023). "AES Andes plugs in 'largest battery system project in Latin America' with 112MW/560MWh in Chile". Energy-Storage.News.
  43. ^ a b "Engie turns on Latin America's largest storage battery". pv magazine International. 21 March 2024.
  44. ^ Ini, Luis (5 February 2025). "Engie Chile activates 418 MWh battery on former diesel site". Energy Storage.
  45. ^ Ini, Luis (1 November 2024). "Commercial operation for Chile's 134 MWh El Manzano battery". Energy Storage.
  46. ^ Djunisic, Sladjana (23 October 2023). "Innergex inaugurates 50-MW250-MWh BESS in Chile | Energy Storage News | Renewables Now". renewablesnow.com.
  47. ^ Pilar, Sanchez Molina (9 July 2024). "Chile's largest PV plant to add 1.7 GWh of battery storage". Energy Storage.
  48. ^ a b c Ini, Luis (9 April 2025). "Another 2.2 GWh of batteries advance in Chile". Energy Storage.
  49. ^ a b Markosyan, Martina (11 April 2025). "Chile inaugurates 221-MWp solar, 1.2-GWh storage".
  50. ^ "CIP building 1.1 GWh standalone battery storage project in Chile". Energy Storage. 8 October 2024.
  51. ^ "Abastible, Zelestra sign Chilean PPA including 1 GWh of battery capacity". Energy Storage. 21 March 2025.
  52. ^ a b Molina, Pilar Sanchez (4 October 2024). "Plans for 1 GWh of energy storage in Chile". Energy Storage.
  53. ^ Ini, Luis (11 February 2025). "Construction begins on Chile's 312 MWh Huatacondo battery". Energy Storage.
  54. ^ a b Ini, Luis (29 August 2024). "Chile: AES gets seal of approval for 3.1 GWh battery storage coupled with solar-wind complex". Energy Storage.
  55. ^ "Chile: 1.25 GWh battery storage project gets green light". Energy Storage. 19 November 2024.
  56. ^ a b Maisch, Marija (4 June 2024). "Large scale battery storage on the rise in Chile". Energy Storage.
  57. ^ "Chile issues permit for 762 MWh Sungrow battery energy storage project". Energy Storage. 24 February 2025.
  58. ^ "Transelec, Clou Electronics, Copec to build 420 MWh battery storage project in Chile". Energy Storage. 27 August 2024.
  59. ^ "Chile approves 367 MWh of collocated battery storage". Energy Storage. 22 August 2024.
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