Powering Chile with clean solar energy
The project is situated in the Atacama Desert in Chile. The region has significant potential for solar energy development, and the project is part of Chile's efforts to increase renewable energy capacity and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The solar power plant aims to contribute to the national grid, supporting the country's energy transition.
To learn more about the Sustainable Development Goals verified by the standard for this project, please check the project's registry link above.
The Concentrated Solar Power (also called concentrated solar thermal, or CSP) plant will be equipped with 10,600 heliostats that track the sun’s movement. These heliostats will concentrate sunlight onto a receiver at the top of a 220-meter tower, where it will heat molten salts to high temperatures. The stored thermal energy will then be used to generate steam, which will drive a turbine connected to an electric generator. The plant is designed to produce around 950 GWh of electricity annually, which will be fed into the National Electric System (SEN).
The project aims to reduce Chile’s reliance on fossil fuel-based power generation by increasing the share of renewable energy in the grid. The CSP plant is expected to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions (with an estimated annual emission reduction of 640,131 tCO2e) by replacing part of the electricity generated by thermal power plants. The plant's thermal storage system also enables continuous power generation, contributing to grid stability and energy security.
