South america

Tumbling solar costs have spurred Google on to a dramatic boost of its exposure to the technology, acting to line up supply from projects worldwide as part of a major clean energy push.

Solar and wind projects selected in the company’s latest clean energy procurement exercise have been awarded a 19-year power purchase deal, starting from 2023. Cemig has now contracted green power from 780 MW of renewable project capacity in three tender rounds held since June last year.

Clean Capital Energy (CCE) has picked a Spanish firm with a track record in Latin American solar to build a utility-scale project in Chile’s centre-north.

UBS Singapore has signed a 10-year agreement with Singapore-headquartered energy, marine and utility company Sembcorp Industries to provide solar power for the bank’s offices.

The nation’s cabinet has approved new contracts for solar projects under net metering rules across several regions. Investments include solar micro-grids for disconnected areas, grid-tied installations and hybrid projects.

Brazil has unveiled the tariff ceilings solar players will face as they compete for the first time in the so-called new generation tender, opening up a new avenue of government support.

Solarpack has strengthened its foothold on the Peruvian solar market by closing on the full acquisition of two up-and-running plants it deployed seven years ago.

Brazil’s biggest lender has launched three tenders to select solar facilities to supply it with power through leasing. The central bank expects to buy around 4 GWh of electricity per year for the Federal District and another 2 GWh in the states of Goiás and Pará.

The nation’s thriving distributed generation market is flying, as was evident at last week’s Intersolar South America trade show. The sector seems unconcerned by mooted changes to net metering incentives in the new year and when even an environmental non-believer like President Bolsonaro is on side, it is difficult to be pessimistic.

Powertis is to develop four projects in total across Minas Gerais and São Paulo. The most significant project, which is anticipated to have a capacity of 495MW, will be joined by three separate 90MW projects.

The early development of PV projects in Latin America was spearheaded by one country: Chile. And while there remain prospects for large-scale project development, its distributed generation segment has the potential for enormous growth, says Marcela Puntí Martín, the general manager of the Chilean Solar Energy Association (ACESOL).

Chile is home to a massive 10.3 million tons of lithium reserves, most of which is found in the Atacama Desert in the northern part of the country. With some of the highest solar irradiation levels on Earth, this region also boasts the perfect conditions for generating solar power. Developments in the photovoltaic market, alongside implementation of more efficient energy storage systems, are positioning Chile as a regional leader in this field. So what does the future hold for battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Chile, and what obstacles lie in their way?

Fully tapping into Latin America’s bullish solar market will require challenging preconceptions around a region that is more stable than is sometimes assumed, local operators have told PV Tech.

Enel Green Power has reached another development milestone in Latin America, rolling out the first components of what it says is Chile’s largest solar project to enter construction to date.

A binational integrated solar industry project, announced just over a year ago, aims to build a vertically integrated solar manufacturing industry along the border between Brazil and Paraguay. But the project is now on hold pending an update and reassessment by its new managers.