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The state of solar energy resource assessment in Chile

Author

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  • Ortega, Alberto
  • Escobar, Rodrigo
  • Colle, Sergio
  • de Abreu, Samuel Luna

Abstract

The Chilean government has determined that a renewable energy quota of up to 10% of the electrical energy generated must be met by 2024. This plan has already sparked interest in wind, geothermal, hydro and biomass power plants in order to introduce renewable energy systems to the country. Solar energy is being considered only for demonstration, small-scale CSP plants and for domestic water heating applications. This apparent lack of interest in solar energy is partly due to the absence of a valid solar energy database, adequate for energy system simulation and planning activities. One of the available solar radiation databases is 20–40 years old, with measurements taken by pyranographs and Campbell–Stokes devices. A second database from the Chilean Meteorological Service is composed by pyranometer readings, sparsely distributed along the country and available from 1988, with a number of these stations operating intermittently. The Chilean government through its National Energy Commission (CNE) has contracted the formulation of a simulation model and also the deployment of network of measurement stations in northern Chile. Recent efforts by the authors have resulted in a preliminary assessment by satellite image processing. Here, we compare the existing databases of solar radiation in Chile. Monthly mean solar energy maps are created from ground measurements and satellite estimations and compared. It is found that significant deviation exists between sources, and that all ground-station measurements display unknown uncertainty levels, thus highlighting the need for a proper, country-wide long-term resource assessment initiative. However, the solar energy levels throughout the country can be considered as high, and it is thought that they are adequate for energy planning activities – although not yet for proper power plant design and dimensioning.

Suggested Citation

  • Ortega, Alberto & Escobar, Rodrigo & Colle, Sergio & de Abreu, Samuel Luna, 2010. "The state of solar energy resource assessment in Chile," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 2514-2524.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:35:y:2010:i:11:p:2514-2524
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2010.03.022
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    Cited by:

    1. Mata-Torres, Carlos & Escobar, Rodrigo A. & Cardemil, José M. & Simsek, Yeliz & Matute, José A., 2017. "Solar polygeneration for electricity production and desalination: Case studies in Venezuela and northern Chile," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 387-398.
    2. Pedruzzi, Rizzieri & Silva, Allan Rodrigues & Soares dos Santos, Thalyta & Araujo, Allan Cavalcante & Cotta Weyll, Arthur Lúcide & Lago Kitagawa, Yasmin Kaore & Nunes da Silva Ramos, Diogo & Milani de, 2023. "Review of mapping analysis and complementarity between solar and wind energy sources," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    3. Bustos, F. & Lazo, C. & Contreras, J. & Fuentes, A., 2016. "Analysis of a solar and aerothermal plant combined with a conventional system in an ESCO model in Chile," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 1156-1167.
    4. Hanel, Matías & Escobar, Rodrigo, 2013. "Influence of solar energy resource assessment uncertainty in the levelized electricity cost of concentrated solar power plants in Chile," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 96-100.
    5. Corral, Nicolás & Anrique, Nicolás & Fernandes, Dalila & Parrado, Cristóbal & Cáceres, Gustavo, 2012. "Power, placement and LEC evaluation to install CSP plants in northern Chile," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(9), pages 6678-6685.
    6. Román-Collado, Rocío & Ordoñez, Manuel & Mundaca, Luis, 2018. "Has electricity turned green or black in Chile? A structural decomposition analysis of energy consumption," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 282-298.
    7. Escobar, Rodrigo A. & Cortés, Cristián & Pino, Alan & Pereira, Enio Bueno & Martins, Fernando Ramos & Cardemil, José Miguel, 2014. "Solar energy resource assessment in Chile: Satellite estimation and ground station measurements," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 324-332.
    8. Larraín, Teresita & Escobar, Rodrigo, 2012. "Net energy analysis for concentrated solar power plants in northern Chile," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 123-133.
    9. Ramachandra, T.V. & Jain, Rishabh & Krishnadas, Gautham, 2011. "Hotspots of solar potential in India," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 3178-3186, August.
    10. Parrado, C. & Marzo, A. & Fuentealba, E. & Fernández, A.G., 2016. "2050 LCOE improvement using new molten salts for thermal energy storage in CSP plants," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 505-514.
    11. Younes Noorollahi & Mohammad Mohammadi & Hossein Yousefi & Amjad Anvari-Moghaddam, 2020. "A Spatial-Based Integration Model for Regional Scale Solar Energy Technical Potential," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-19, March.
    12. Cornejo, Lorena & Martín-Pomares, Luis & Alarcon, Diego & Blanco, Julián & Polo, Jesús, 2017. "A through analysis of solar irradiation measurements in the region of Arica Parinacota, Chile," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 197-208.
    13. Ceballos, Juan Carlos & Porfirio, Anthony Carlos Silva & Oricchio, Patricio Alberto & Posse, Gabriela, 2022. "Characterization of the annual regime of surface solar irradiance over Argentine Pampean Region using GL1.2 satellite-based data," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 526-537.
    14. Perini de Souza, Noele Bissoli & Sperandio Nascimento, Erick Giovani & Bandeira Santos, Alex Alisson & Moreira, Davidson Martins, 2022. "Wind mapping using the mesoscale WRF model in a tropical region of Brazil," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    15. Fernández, Ángel G. & Gomez-Vidal, Judith C., 2017. "Thermophysical properties of low cost lithium nitrate salts produced in northern Chile for thermal energy storage," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 120-125.
    16. Rojas, Redlich García & Alvarado, Natalia & Boland, John & Escobar, Rodrigo & Castillejo-Cuberos, Armando, 2019. "Diffuse fraction estimation using the BRL model and relationship of predictors under Chilean, Costa Rican and Australian climatic conditions," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 1091-1106.
    17. Sosa-Tinoco, Ian & Peralta-Jaramillo, Juan & Otero-Casal, Carlos & López- Agüera, A. & Miguez-Macho, G. & Rodríguez-Cabo, I., 2016. "Validation of a global horizontal irradiation assessment from a numerical weather prediction model in the south of Sonora–Mexico," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 105-113.
    18. Furlan, Claudia & de Oliveira, Amauri Pereira & Soares, Jacyra & Codato, Georgia & Escobedo, João Francisco, 2012. "The role of clouds in improving the regression model for hourly values of diffuse solar radiation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 240-254.

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