First Solar has installed the first solar panel for the 141 Megawatt ac Luz del Norte Solar Power Plant in Chile.
Michelle Bachelet, President of the Republic of Chile; Isabel Allende, President of the Chilean Senate, and Máximo Pacheco, Minister of Energy in attendance were honorable guests present during the inaugural ceremony.
In addition to being the largest solar plant in Latin America, Luz del Norte will be the biggest solar power facility in the world to sell electricity on an open contract basis.
The project, located 58 kilometers north of the city of Copiapó, will be complete by December 2015. Besides, it will impact the regional economy, creating up to 370 construction jobs.
The 141 MW generated by Luz del Norte will benefit the end consumer as its generation requires low variable costs only. It will generate power using 1.7 million of photovoltaic thin film modules, and will produce enough solar energy to provide electricity to over 173,962 homes.
This is an effort to address Chile’s energy deficit. The project proves Chile’s progress towards a clean energy producing country. This year company is incorporating more than 1000 MW of new energy to system through different non-conventional renewable energies, pointed out, Bachelet.
Chile is in a position to be a leader in renewable energy in the Southern Cone, and in the Atacama region, he assured.
These kinds of projects are what the country needs. Northern Chile is one of the places with the highest solar radiation in the world, and therefore is the place to develop alternative renewable energy projects such as First Solar’s in the Atacama region, noted, Maximo Pacheco, Minister of Energy.
This project is considered to be a milestone to achieve the goal set in Energy Agenda of ministry that by 2025, 20 percent of the energy will be produced from non-conventional renewable resources.
First Solar displays unique features on several environmental issues. The dry cleaning of panels reduces the use of water during operations. In addition, the recycling services for its panels minimize generation of waste materials. The thin film technology produces lowest carbon footprint and energy payback time compared to any other available photovoltaic technology.
Rajani Baburajan
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