Chile Bets on Solar Power

“We have the obligation to lead the renewable energies development here in Chile. Currently we own 50 percent of the electric market and we want to keep this number also for the renewable energies,” said Rafel Mateo, the Chilean manager from Endesa. Endesa Chile, an Endesa Spain subsidiary, will invest 40 million dollars in the first solar power plant in Chile.

The chosen location for the plant is the northern part of Chile, possibly Tarapacá or Antofagasta. The northside of Chile is warm and desert, with sunlight almost all year long. Those attributes make the place ideal for a solar energy plant.

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Until now Chile has not been using renewable energies, unless we count enormous dams that actually damage the local environment.

The Endesa solar power plant will have power of 10 megawatts and will be done before the year 2010, at least that is what Endesa says.

Endesa Chile is also considering the possibility to imitate the wind farm of Canela, Coquimbo, that started with 9 megawatts but will reach 80 megawatts sometime next year.

The renewable energies “will be more and more important in becoming the support of the electric systems. The high price of the oil and the coal reduce the gap between cost of central thermal plants and wind farms,” added Mateo. “The costs are going to decrease more and more if the technology becomes more efficient.”

Via Invertia

Image: Flickr by Marc Shandro

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