Atacama 1 - Smart energy for Chile

Atacama 1: Energía inteligente para Chile

Smart energy for Chile

Atacama 1

Copyright © Abengoa Solar, S.A. 2015. All rights reserved

Solar thermal plant (110 MW) + Photovoltaic plant (100 MW)


Location

Atacama 1 solar complex is being built at Atacama Desert, in Maria Elena Community.

It is located in the north of Chile, around 80 km from Calama.

Atacama Desert

The place in the world with the best solar radiation: 3200 kWh/m


Features: • 210 MW that will be

connected to Chile’s power grid.

• 1,000 hectares of solar field. • Able to produce energy 24

hours a day.


Benefits

Socioeconomic

• 2,000 workers at peak time of construction.

• Continuous job creation, local training and services related to construction work.

• Technological knowledge sharing to develop solar energy industry in the region.


Environmental

• Clean energy that permits to avoid the emission of 870,000 tons of CO2 every year.

• Capacity to supply energy to 410,000 homes every year.

Benefits


Solar thermal plant

Capacity: 110 MW.

• The first solar thermal plant in Latin America.

• Technology: tower with thermal storage system with molten salts of 17.5 hours.


• Heliostats track the sun to concentrate the solar radiation into a receiver where a stream of molten salts circulate. The receiver is located 220 meters up, in a 250-meter high tower.

• In a heat exchanger, molten salts transfer its heat to a water flow to generate steam that drives a turbine which produces up to 110 MW.

How does it work?


• Solar field: 700 acres, 10,600 heliostats.

• It avoids the emission of 643,000 tons of CO2 per year and supplies almost 300,000 homes.

• Starting date of operation: First semester of 2017.


Photovoltaic plant

Capacity: 100 MW It can produce electricity directly 12 hours a day. The panels track the sun in a single axis.


• It harvests the solar radiation with panels. The panels convert the light coming from the sun into electricity by means of the photovoltaic effect.

• Transport of alternate electric power through the grid. • Interconnection of the plant to Chile’s power grid.

How does it work?


• Solar field: 300 hectares, 392,000 solar panels.

• Avoiding the emission of 227,000 tons of CO2 every year and supplying electricity to 103,000 homes.

• Start of operation: January 2016.

Copyright © Abengoa Solar, S.A. 2015. Todos los derechos reservados.

Features


Atacama 1: Energía inteligente para Chile

Atacama 1


Smart energy for Chile