Huge development portfolio, little action on photovoltaic plants in Chile

The February 2013 report from Chile’s Renewable Energy Center (CER) finds that even though over 3.1 GW of solar electric plants have received environmental approval in the nation, only 3.3 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects are currently under construction.

The report finds another 3.6 MW of operational PV in the nation, and 1.06 GW of projects awaiting environmental approval. The vast majority of PV projects under development are in the north of the nation, in regions XV, I, II and III.

Four new solar projects seeking approval in January

In the month of January, four new solar projects totaling 163 MW applied for approval through the nation’s Environmental Assessment Service.

There is also a huge backlog of approved wind plants at 3.98 GW, however 248 MW are under construction and 205 MW are operational. All told, wind, solar, small hydro and biomass currently total 896 MW, comprising 4.8% of the nation’s installed electricity generation capacity.

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http://cer.gob.cl/