chile

The major connection between Chile’s Northernmost and Central grids, which will provide a larger market for the high concentration of solar PV in the country’s north, is expected to be complete by mid-2017, according to a leading industry figure.

Chile has streaked ahead of its Latin American rivals after becoming the first country in the region to surpass 1GW of installed solar capacity and brush off its classification as an ‘emerging market’. Tom Kenning assesses the country's prospects as it looks to go even further with renewable energy deployment.

Chile’s cumulative installed solar capacity has surpassed 1GW, according to the latest figures from Chilean renewable energy research institute (CIFES).

Spain-based solar tracker and fixed structures manufacturer STi Norland has been chosen by renewables firm Acciona Energia to provide PV equipment and installations for around half of the El Romero solar plant, which will stand at 247MW in the Atacama desert of Chile.

Chile’s installed solar PV capacity reached 848MW as of the end of December 2015, according to the latest update from Chilean renewable energy research institute Centro para la Innovación y Fomento de las Energías Sustentables (CIFES).

Chile’s Ministry of National Resources is holding a public tender for 2,896 hectares of land in the region of Arica and Parinacota to be used for renewable energy projects.

Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile, has signed off on a new energy strategy for the South American country, which sets a goal of generating 70% of national electricity generation from renewable sources by 2050.

The Latin America region saw 181MW of utility-scale solar PV come online in Q3 2015, down 50% from the historic 363MW of installations in Q2, but still helping the market's ability to strengthen growth and move towards maturity in 2016, according to GTM Research’s ‘Latin America Q3 Playbook’.

Chile is forecast to install half of all new solar capacity in Latin America this year. But logistical operations for remote solar projects and the threat of natural disasters are both major considerations for the region. Tom Kenning spoke to Jatin Sharma of GCube Underwriting about the risks associated with the Chilean market.