It's an amazing paradox.
In 2016, Chile was producing so much solar energy that it didn't know what to do with it.
So he was giving it away for free!
29 solar power generation farms were opened during that year.
And they worked so well that all the energy produced could no longer be used.
It is for this reason that the inhabitants of the north of the country, where the energy production was too important, had the happy surprise of receiving kilos of Watt peak (unit of measurement of solar energy) for free .
So, is Chile an energy paradise? Almost ! Note, however, that not all of Chile benefited from this measure, only the inhabitants of the North, around the Atacama Desert, where energy production was too high.
But it wasn't the first time. The previous year already, 192 days of electricity had been offered to the inhabitants. And at the beginning of 2016, the lucky kids didn't pay for their electricity for 113 days , from January to April!
The government hoped to be able to invoice in May. But again… No noticeable change.
The trend is not about to reverse. Large investments have been made in renewable energies. Chile has already quadrupled its solar energy production.
Chile's economic growth is doing so well that fifteen more solar farms are expected to open soon.
This incredible situation is not so much the result of overproduction as of a supply problem. This is the consequence of weak infrastructure.
The energy produced in the north of the country cannot be transferred to the center where the needs are very great, due to a lack of infrastructure.
The government promised that 3,000 km of transmission line would soon be installed to supply the other regions of Chile as well. But in the meantime, the energy is stuck in the north…
And what is good news for some is much less so for others. For entrepreneurs, the situation is complicated, especially for those investing in the construction of solar farms.
Bankers do not see the collapse of the price of this energy in a good light and are reluctant to finance the projects. And unfortunately, companies cannot survive if they do not sell their production.
Chile wonders what it will do with all this energy. One of the most interesting ideas would be the construction of a metro line that would only work with solar and wind energy
In the meantime, we will have to invest in a storage battery! But one thing is certain:Chile has already demonstrated that solar energy can be produced in sufficient quantities to meet the country's needs.
