Chile OKs 84-MW Solar, 90-MW Battery Hybrid

• Limes wins Chilean green light for 84‑MWp solar + 90‑MW battery, a hybrid built to dodge curtailment, chase evening prices, and scale with grid-forming smarts—procurement now sets pace.

Italian developer Limes Renewable Energy won Chilean environmental clearance for an 84‑MWp solar plant co-located with a 90‑MW battery in the country’s north, underscoring a shift to hybrids that shift daytime surplus into the evening peak. Shared interconnection cuts losses while single-controller dispatch co-optimizes arbitrage and ancillary services on a grid.

Hybrid design targets curtailment in solar-saturated corridors and higher capture prices after sunset, with grid-forming inverters, EMS and pad space to extend duration as markets evolve. Permitting covers dust, traffic, rare-rain drainage, anti-glare and end-of-life recycling—now lender standards. With approvals secured, procurement of long-lead equipment becomes the schedule driver.

Why pair 84‑MWp PV with 90‑MW BESS to curb curtailment and boost revenues?

• 90‑MW BESS power headroom absorbs nearly all PV surplus and responds to curtailment orders instantly, minimizing spillage
  
• Time‑shift from midday to evening boosts capture prices and shapes output to meet peak demand and PPA delivery windows
• Higher utilization of the shared interconnection raises exported MWh and lowers unit grid costs versus PV‑only
  
• Recovers DC/AC clipping losses by charging the battery during high-irradiance spikes instead of wasting energy
  
• Arbitrage avoids negative/zero midday prices and monetizes evening and shoulder‑hour spreads
  
• Stacks ancillary revenues (fast frequency response, regulation, reserves) with 90‑MW capability while still time‑shifting energy
• Qualifies for capacity/adequacy payments by delivering firm output during net‑load peaks
  
• Smooths schedules and reduces imbalance penalties by correcting intra‑hour forecast errors
  
• Maintains deliveries through PV outages or clouds, reducing PPA shape penalties and merchant volatility
  
• Provides grid‑support functions (grid‑forming, ride‑through, voltage control), improving dispatchability on weak corridors
  
• Curtailment management via rapid battery absorption prevents inverter trips and restart delays
  
• Future‑proofs for longer durations as peaks lengthen, with EMS ready for 4–8‑hour market needs
  
• Improves bankability: diversified cash flows, higher capture rates, lower DSCR volatility, potentially lower WACC
  
• Shared BOS, land, and permitting cut capex versus standalone assets, lifting project IRR
  
• Enables night exports using stored solar, raising annual capacity factor of the point of interconnection