Solar

Chile: Engie to invest $450m to develop 400 MW solar

December 20, 2016

The French utility Engie SA – with Solairedirect SA – plans to invest about $450 million to develop 400 megawatts of solar power in Chile’s north and central regions, where transmission lines are available, said Laurent Furedi, chief of strategy at Engie Latin America. Engie acquired Solairedirect SA for about $220 million in 2015 as part […]

Brazil cancels only wind and solar auction of the year

December 15, 2016

Brazil’s Ministry of Energy and Mines has cancelled the wind and solar auction scheduled for Dec 19 due to oversupply, says a spokesman from MEM. In a previous solar and wind auction in July, the MEM postponed the solar auction to December, but solar and wind have both been effectively removed, making this the first […]

Chile: Abengoa’s PV/CSP hybrid plant resumes progress

December 15, 2016

Chile’s round-the-clock solar power project is back on, reports BN Americas. The Atacama 1 plant will use 100 MW PV and 110 MW of Concentrating Solar Power – which has the capacity to store heat and provide energy even when the sun doesn’t shine. The project will be connected the Chile’s northern SING power grid, […]

Suriname investing $98m in 3 solar plants and electricity upgrades

December 12, 2016

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) will loan $65m to the government of Suriname, and the government and utility will contribute $33.325 to make upgrades to Suriname’s electricity grid. The Board of Directors of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) approved the loan which will upgrade and expand sections of the country’s transmission, sub-transmission and distribution networks, […]

Off-grid solar ready to take off in Peru

December 6, 2016

A nonprofit is working in Peru to get power to remote communities using solar technologies. An estimated 3 million people in Peru don’t have access to power, largely because of the remoteness of the villages where they live.“From the Andes to the Amazon, folks are really spread out,” said Michael Callahan, CEO of PowerMundo, a […]

Guyana to build first solar farm

November 30, 2016

Guyana unveiled it will build its first solar farm next year as part of a larger national strategy to transition to renewable energy. Solar power will be an important component of the country’s larger plan to reduce spending on fossil fuel and lower carbon emissions. Plans to attract investors to Guyana include one-off tax holidays […]

Argentina doubles renewable energy projects in latest award

November 29, 2016

In a surprising twist to RenovAR 1.5, Argentina has awarded 1281.5 MW of renewable energy capacity, more than double the original ask of 600 MW. “Investors have shown they believe in Argentina,” said Juan José Aranguren, Argentina’s energy minister. A total of 30 projects were selected under this additional tender, including 10 wind projects, representing 765.4 […]

Chile connects Latin America’s largest solar plant to the national grid

November 23, 2016

Acciona Energía has completed the 246 MW El Romero solar plant in record time, says general manager José Escobar. Located in the Atacama desert of Chile, the US$343 million plant is the largest in Latin America, featuring 776,000 polycrystalline silicon PV modules that are spread over a 280 hectare area. The plant is designed to […]

IRENA Report: Dynamic policies driving renewable energy growth in Latin America

November 22, 2016

Latin America hosts some of the world’s most dynamic renewable energy markets, according to IRENA. Countries in the region are endowed with renewable resources that make for unprecedented opportunities in solar, wind, hydro and geothermal energy. The rapid reduction in technology costs help to buoy the business case for renewables investment and with the right […]