MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Chile connects Latin America's largest solar plant to the national grid
Spanish clean energy company Acciona Energía has connected the 246MW El Romero solar plant in Atacama desert, Chile to the county’s Interconnected Central System (SIC), becoming Latin America's largest. The US$343m El Romero Solar plant features 776,000 polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic modules, spread across 280ha area in the municipality of Vallenar, 645km north of the Santiago. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesWhat a dreadfull thing to do to a pristine wilderness, such a massive area of habitat taken.
Nov 14th, 2016 - 10:47 am - Link - Report abuse -1“massive area of habitat”?!
Nov 14th, 2016 - 11:56 am - Link - Report abuse +3And what inhabits this habitat?
We have massive empty desert areas, many of which are pristine and beautiful, but there is more than enough to support important projects like this.
How would you suggest we generate our electricity? Burn more coal? Ship more oil and gas in from across the ocean?
Condorcito, DennisA was being funny. Actually he was probably mocking the likes of Patagonia Sin Repisas, whose platform seems to be rejection of the most efficient sustainable energy sources in southern Chile.
Nov 14th, 2016 - 01:21 pm - Link - Report abuse -2On the totally cool side, maybe now Chile can sell more electricity to Argentina.
Great project! What is the cost of the energy? $40 per MW/h is the cost of eolic energy, I was told.
Nov 14th, 2016 - 06:13 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Great project! What is the cost of the energy?”
Nov 14th, 2016 - 08:46 pm - Link - Report abuse -1Last year the five main renewable energy companies in Chile bid at an average of about US$79 per megawatt-hour. The Spanish company Amunche Solar won the bidding for a 20-year contract with a bid of US$64 / MWhr but these are supplies without storage factors. Up until last year the cost of wind generation was around US$150 per MW/hr but there are indications it can be bid lower than that now.
Funny how, while some continue debating whether climate change is caused by humans, technology continues to forge ahead and will sooner than later reduce our dependence on dirty, non-renewable energy sources.
Nov 14th, 2016 - 09:21 pm - Link - Report abuse +3Fantastic progress this.
Nov 15th, 2016 - 09:14 am - Link - Report abuse +2I just spent a couple of weeks driving through Aisen. It is without doubt one of the most staggeringly beautiful places I have ever been to. Like everyone I spoke to down there, I am glad the Chileans are looking at solar rather than hydro.
“...driving through Aisen....”
Nov 15th, 2016 - 01:32 pm - Link - Report abuse -1Perhaps in your summer drive you didn't notice that the sun doesn't shine in Aysén. At least not enough to make solar very practical there. The Simpson valley gets about 200 inches of rain a year and 4 sunny days. Did you notice the wind turbines in Aysén? (in Coyhaique Alto). They aren't working out so well, either.
And you probably didn't notice how much hydro currently supplies the electrical demand in Aysén. So they complain about hydro but use hydro to meet their needs? WTF?
The great thing about the ayseninos -- they contribute almost nothing to the national treasury and expect hundreds of millions in subsidies and exemptions (lowest level of contribution per national peso received of any region in Chile and their zona franca allows imports with only 1.5% on CIF). They even expect the national government to supply them with firewood so that they can continue to enjoy the most polluted air in all of Chile. Yet they object to cheaper hydro that would allow them to clean up their air. That is the self-destructive nature of the ayseninos. Yes, we've done some work there through the years and have a pretty good idea about how Aysén works.
@Marti Llazo
Nov 15th, 2016 - 06:05 pm - Link - Report abuse +6I wasn't proposing that Chile should generate large amounts of solar in Aisen. I was saying it is great that they are investing in the generating from solar in the north. Given that is where the demand is, it makes good sense to generate in the north.
Rather than make assumptions about what I may have observed, you should focus on your own observation skills, which appear lacking based on your post. Firstly, October is spring in that part of the world not summer. Secondly, your assertion that there is “no sunshine” in Aisen is hugely inaccurate. For a start, it was sunny everyday for the 3 weeks I was there. I also noticed quite a few dwellings with solar panels so there must be a reasonable amount of sunshine. Further, I noticed that the climate changes greatly from one valley to the next. In Puerto Tranquillo and Puerto Guadal there are cherry trees, apple, strawberries, black currents and other fruit that only flourish with a good amount of sunshine, and judging by the delicious home made jams served with breakfast, flourish they do. I appreciate that the existence of multiple micro-climates may overwhelm your evidently simplistic power of observation.
I remember from a previous story that you claimed Chilean air pollution was as bad as China's. You are prone to exaggerate some what. So to repeat what I posted then...
it is inaccurate to say that: ”(Chile has) Air quality as bad as China”.
The World Health Organisation data shows air pollution in China to be significantly worst than in Latin America. Santiago is less polluted than almost every city in China for which there are data.
Have a look at this site - real time air pollution monitoring:
https://waqi.info/
China is a mass of red flags. At time of posting the only red flags in South America: Lima, Sao Paulo and Bahia Blanca - none in Chile! Also interesting is that Chile seems to be measuring air pollution in every town, whereas other countries in the region have almost no monitoring.
MerryEnglander please go find the statement you imagined that I made about air pollution in Chile being worse than that of China. The media in Chile have reported occasional episodes in which air pollution in Chile was worse than a comparable episode somewhere in Chile but you'd have to look for those since I don't remember having cited any such thing.
Nov 15th, 2016 - 11:03 pm - Link - Report abuse -1I've been in Coyhaique during some of those bad air days. And quite frankly, it very much depends on what season you're in Coyhaique, and few outsiders visit outside of summer. Look at summer indications when nobody is burning that wet wood for heating and there is no inversion layer and you're cherry-picking. People have to breathe there year-round, when you're not looking.
If you'd like to read the BBC's recent report on the air pollution there, adelante: see if you can figure this out: ¿Cuál es la sorprendente “ciudad más contaminada” de América Latina? ...Ese dudoso honor le corresponde a la ciudad de Coyhaique, en el sur de Chile... yup... Coyhaique.. Aysén, Chile....
http://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias/2016/05/160513_ciencia_ciudad_mas_contaminada_america_latina_gtg
Besides, China has industry. Chile for the most part doesn't. Unless you consider the copper smelters to be industry. The majority of the really bad air in Chilean cities is the result of just burning wood to heat residences. And that creates some of the worst air pollution in all of South America.
There are people who visit Aysén in the summer and assume it's like summer there all the time. You must have missed the Simpson valley, where they invented overcast. Earlier this year the Chilean national government published its energy sourcing recommendations for Aysén and concluded that, among other things, that solar collection is only practical from the months November through March, and that levels of ground level solar radiation indicate that solar is not economically viable.
Marti Llazo you ask me to “please go find the statement you imagined that I made about air pollution in Chile being worse than that of China”.
Nov 16th, 2016 - 09:21 am - Link - Report abuse +2I didn't say you said “worse than”, I said you said “as bad as” and you did say that. Your exact words were:
“Air quality as bad as China, but without the development.”
Here is the link:
http://en.mercopress.com/2016/09/19/uruguay-chile-and-costa-rica-with-60-household-internet-penetration/comments#comment449931
So... is it a case of me imagining things or a case of you being wildly inaccurate and then either forgetting or disowning your own comments?
Which is it?
I'll be generous and go with forgetful.
Besides being forgetful and prone to exaggerate (i.e. “the sun doesn't shine in Aysén”). You seem unable to interpret information in anything but a simplistic manner, either that or you are very disingenuous. You are clinging to this idea that Coyhaique has the worst air pollution in Latina America, without thinking beyond a sensationalist headline or two. As I have pointed out to you on two previous occasions, Chile monitors air pollution in multiple locations in almost every sizeable town in the country. Most of Latin America does not do this. Even the BBC article you refer to make mention of this:
“Para el informe de la OMS, las autoridades chilenas ofrecieron los datos de más de 20 ciudades, mientras que países como Argentina, Venezuela y Perú sólo ofrecieron los datos de la capital de país.”
You buy in to negative sensational headlines easily, without thinking, because they fit with your entrenched ideas that everything in Chile and Argentina is crap. It is quite sad really.
Mr. MerryEnglander
Nov 16th, 2016 - 10:22 am - Link - Report abuse -1Happy you found my neighbourhood pleasing to your senses...
Their are indeed some less pretty places on this planet...
(And thanks for putting that Marti Llazo Turnip in his place, by the way...)
Sent from my photovoltaic run dwelling, east of Coyhaique...
El Think...
Mr Think
Nov 16th, 2016 - 12:00 pm - Link - Report abuse +1I hope some of those delicious Aysen cherries reach you over there. We import more than half the Aysen production into the UK. Very greedy I know, but they are so good. The warm, dry, sunny summers found in many of Aysen's valleys, coupled with a cold winter, yield fantastic sweet cherries.
I am sure you are familiar with the Maqui berry (Aristotelia chilensis). What a fantastic fruit. Hopefully one day its potential will be realised and it will go from a foraged fruit to orchard plantation.
A wonderful part of the world.
As for the bitter Marti-tuber (Brassica rapa, acerbissimum), it is best left in a damp dark patch, heaped generously with manure.
The comparison between Chinese air quality and Coyhaique air quality is correct.
Nov 16th, 2016 - 01:09 pm - Link - Report abuse -2It was based on Chilean media reports.
Actually the Chilean report said peak pollution “ worse than Beijing”
“ Estudio advierte que peaks de esmog en Coyhaique superaron a Beijing en 2015”
Visit Coyhaique in July and you will understand the true meaning of air pollution.
Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!