CChile offers unique conditions for the
development of solar energy solutions. The new government
is drawing up an ambitious road map for the
development of solar energy. Some visions include
the positioning of Chile as a regional solar energy
exporter. This article examines this trend, based on
the development of the power sector, the power market,
analysis models, innovation opportunities, and the
public policies implemented over the past ten years. It
provides an overview of the solar energy scenario for
Latin America and examines the technical challenges
faced by the various solar technologies, and it discusses
transmission systems and storage solutions. The issues
of citizen empowerment, community engagement, and
sustainable development in the context of solar energy
development in the region are discussed along with the
need for development of the human capital required
to address alternative solar energy challenges from a
technical and social standpoint.
Chile is an Andean nation on the western coast of
South America with a population of approximately
17 million people. More than a third of the population
live in the centrally located capital city, Santiago.
The country occupies a narrow strip of land that