A rendering of SolarReserve’s 390 MW Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Likana Solar Project. Credit: SolarReserve.Chile is charging full speed ahead with advanced solar energy. The Chilean government recently granted environmental approval for the Likana Solar Energy Project, a new solar power station slated for the Antofagasta region of Chile. The Likana project will provide 390 megawatts of solar thermal electricity (2,800 gigawatt-hours per year), backed by 5,100 megawatt-hours of energy storage. Likana will generate baseload power 24 hours a day, at a price competitive with fossil fuel-based energy.
The plant will consist of three 130 megawatt (MW) solar thermal towers, each with 13 hours of full load energy storage. California-based developer SolarReserve will build the project.
“The Chilean transmission system will have difficulty accommodating large amounts of intermittent power. The Distribution Companies and Mining Sector require a firm, secure, and stable supply of electricity 24 hours a day,” said Tom Georgis, SolarReserve’s Senior Vice President of Development. “The Likana project will help lower electricity costs for Chilean families and businesses, while safeguarding grid stability.”
Read more at Solar Reserve.