Power solutions and solar thermal technology provider SolarReserve has earned environmental approval from the Chilean government to develop the 260MW Copiapó Solar Project.
The project, which will be comprised of SolarReserve’s concentrating solar power (CSP) technology, is expected to reach commercial operation in 2019 and will funnel energy to customers through a central interconnected system (SIC).
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Kevin Smith, SolarReserve's CEO, said: “One of the fundamental goals for SolarReserve is minimizing the environmental impacts of our projects at every stage – from site selection and construction, to full operational use.
“Sustainability is the focus of our business. Our proprietary solar energy storage technology provides a viable and cost competitive alternative to fossil-based electricity generation, with the potential to meaningfully reduce reliance on fossil fuels and associated carbon pollution that is contributing to climate change.”
Located in the Atacama Region, the site will generate 1,800 GWh per year, while also providing up to 260MW of firm baseload power to Chile’s industrial sector.
Tom Georgis, SolarReserve's SVP of development, added: “SolarReserve is the industry leader in baseload solar power solutions, due to our proprietary solar thermal energy storage technology with over 100 patents. This technology realistically has the potential to power the entire country of Chile using two phenomenal Chilean resources, salt and sun.”
