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Chile has a very ambitious energy transition agenda and massive challenges ahead to accomplish it. To integrate the high solar energy potential in the north an the high wind power potential of the south of the country, considerable investments in the electrical grid and new balancing mechanism and storage capacities are necessary. This study addresses the potential of individual industries, particularly the paper industry, to provide flexibility to the electrical system on-site. To achieve this, an optimization model that minimizes energy provision costs is proposed. The model considers the demand of a company including its demand side management potential, combined heat and power generation capacities, as well as on-site renewable energy generation location potential from photovoltaics and wind power. The model is computed under multiple parametrization scenarios to estimate under which conditions it would be advantageous for the company to use renewable electricity. This allows to evaluate how much of the renewable electricity produced in high peaks can be used by the company, and in how far, demand side management and combined heat and power can compensate low generation periods of renewable electricity. The model is feeded with typical hourly electricity and heat demand profiles of a prototypic paper producing company, which were statistically derived from one and a half years of measurements. Moreover, electricity generation time series from photovoltaics and wind power are derived from physical models that rely on ERA5 reanalysis data. The latter data set allows to compute the model in locations all around Chilean territory in a 30 km x 30 km spatial grid. Results are presented in the form of maps of the shares of renewables that would be enabled at avery location by industries of the same characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In this paper, a stochastic simulation model for a standalone PV system sizing is replicated and extended to supply a dairy's power demand. A detailed hourly-based simulation is conducted considering an hourly load profile and global solar radiation prediction model. The stochastic simulation model is based on a thorough statistical analysis of the solar radiation data and simulates the energy yield, the excess energy curtailed, and the state of charge of the batteries for the sizing month and the whole year, providing the designer autonomy factor values d to properly size the PV system, finding the optimum combination of installed peak power P m and battery storage capacity C L that meets the application load requirements, considering a preset reliability level at minimum cost. The model makes use of the NASA'S Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy database to obtain solar radiation data. Results show a substantial reduction of 44% in installed peak power and battery storage capacity when compared to conventional methodologies, considering three days of autonomy, and an 85% reduction considering four days. Considering the goodness of fit test results, the Wakeby distribution best represents the behavior of historical solar radiation data for the site in almost half of the months. This article seeks to contribute to the literature gap in the application of methodologies for the multicomponent power supply in the dairy industry through the use of renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supply schemes, specifically delivery times, are essential factors in the resulting final cost of fuels. It is the particular case of hydrogen produced from variable renewable energies. However, the impact of different delivery times on the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) remains unclear. This paper assesses the combined impact of different delivery times, local renewable sources, and onsite generation curtailment on the LCOH. We developed an optimization model of an electrolysis-based hydrogen plant and found key LCOH locational drivers and trends. The model uses hourly solar PV and wind generation data for four locations in Chile and optimizes the capacities of the onsite solar and wind generators, electrolyzers, storage tanks, and compressors. In all the locations examined, we found an almost linear relationship between LCOH and delivery time. LCOH values for a daily delivery range from 2.4 to 3.4 $US/kg (for different locations). Values for a delivery time of 120 days range from 12.2 to 13.6 $US/kg. These are explained by the almost linear increase in storage costs with respect to delivery time, despite the variability of renewable energies at the analyzed locations. Production costs remain almost constant for different delivery times. Furthermore, we obtained that curtailment could decrease LCOHs between 5% and 40%, by increasing the electrolyzer's capacity factor and decreasing the storage size. Moreover, we show that off-grid solar-dominant scenarios are strongly affected by the lack of solar energy in winter, increasing LCOHs considerably. • Linear relationship between LCOH and delivery time. • Low delivery times imply less volume and cost of storage, decreasing the LCOH. • Production costs remain almost constant for different delivery times. • Curtailment reduces LCOHs between 5% and 40% due to increased capacity factors. • Off-grid solar dominant locations present higher LCOHs due to winter's lower solar generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies calculate the potential of renewable energies throughout the world. However, these studies vary in the underlying assumptions and do not consider several technologies within a uniform methodology, which affects comparability. In this paper, we calculate the worldwide potentials of ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV), concentrated solar power (CSP), and wind onshore and offshore on a 6.5 by 6.5 km grid. The results consist of installable capacity, generated electricity, and specific cost of electricity generation. Our methodology combines high-resolution data for land uses, slope, and hourly weather data with a thorough analysis of different factors for wind power, like hub heights and rotor diameters, and solar power plants, like tilt angle, and temperature-related loss of efficiency. The results show that the summed-up potential capacity of ground-mounted PV surpasses the amount of CSP, wind onshore and offshore combined with 450 TW. Given the cost-potential curve, ground-mounted PV reaches 560,000 TWh at costs below 20 €/MWh, which is twice the projected worldwide primary energy supply of the World Energy Outlook 2022 for the year 2050 with 205,557 TWh. The calculated results can function as input factors for energy system models, which are an important tool to analyse the energy transition. • Model-based global renewable potential calculation. • Calculation of capacity, electricity generation and costs for four technologies. • Results show technical potentials of 662,740 TWh for ground-mounted PV. • Ground-mounted PV shows potentials of 560,000 TWh at costs below 20 €/MWh. • Most cost efficient ground-mounted PV and CSP potentials can be found in Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mainly based on expanding the grid, Chile has reached an impressive electrification rate. However, due to unviable grid expansion to islands and remote areas of the country, the government started implementing off-grid electrification programs. In this paper, we assess the sustainability of rural electrification efforts in Chile paying special attention to off-grid photovoltaic (PV) programs. Methods: Our assessment of the rural electrification efforts in Chile takes into account four dimensions of sustainability (institutional, economic, environmental, and socio-cultural). It is based on an extensive qualitative document analysis, complemented by semi-structured interviews to key stakeholders. Results: We found that, despite several successful pilot off-grid PV projects, the deployment of off-grid PV solutions for rural electrification lagged behind the enormous solar potential of the country. Part of the problem is that decisions favoring other technologies have been made without considering costs over the lifetime and environmental co-impacts. Moreover, the social acceptance of off-grid PV solutions has been seriously compromised due to problems regarding the accuracy (systems were unable to meet the user's needs) and reliability (systems often failed due to lack of mandatory standards and the uncertain maintenance). Conclusions: Although Chile has conducted remarkable efforts on electrification during the last 20 years, the indigenous communities still have less access to electricity. This disparity is a major drawback that underscores the need for adjusting the electrification approach (which means that the communities or the local authorities have to request electrification at first place) adopted by the Ministry of Energy in rural electrification. Indeed, this approach favors better organized communities leaving behind others-normally the poorest indigenous communities. Moreover, major progress on cultural justice, equity, and environmental awareness is needed for ensuring the sustainability of rural electrification efforts in Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mining industry represents more than half of Chile’s foreign exchange earnings and its increasing expansion will demand a continuous development of its energy supplies. Mostly, all the mines in Chile are located in the desert regions, having a large surface with one of the highest solar radiations levels and clearest skies in the world. Covering the mining industry’s energy demand with solar energy is thus an obvious and promising approach. In this paper, the implementation of solar thermal heating is studied in every mining process and the solar thermal electricity generation for the entire mine demand is considered as well. The work concludes that the installation of flat plate collectors to heat water for mine processes, especially for electrowinning, is strongly recommended. Additionally, the installation of solar thermal power plants can satisfy the mining electricity demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy is expected to become the main electricity source in the world in the coming decades, with solar and wind power taking a big share of the energy supply. Although there has been a remarkable advance on renewable energy technologies, their integration is still difficult for regulators, market designers and system operators due to the high variability and limited predictability of solar and wind resources. Measures can be adopted to ease their integration, among them geographical diversification. There is plenty of literature about the diversification of solar and wind resources and there is a common conclusion: greater dispersion smooths out power production. However, literature on the effects of spatial diversification on the power system, electricity prices and renewable energy market value is much scarcer. This paper studies the effects of spatial diversification and questions whether integration policies are incentivizing the placement of renewable generators where they provide the highest value to the electricity system in Chile. Using real data and a simplified dispatch model the analysis presented shows evidence of the effects of diversification on wind and solar market value in Chile. Results suggest that spatial diversification has a strong positive effect on the market value of renewable energy, especially in scenarios with active transmission and hydro-storage constraints. Wind market value may vary up to US$10/MW h depending on the level of diversification and the spatial and temporal constraints of the system and, given current storage capacity of hydro reservoirs, the solar market value may increase US$5/MW h due to diversification if transmission capacity is enough. Even though these results must be observed with caution, because they depend on the assumptions made, there is an important effect of renewable spatial diversification that should be observed by regulators. • Effects of spatial diversification on the power system and its prices. • Strategies to mitigate the value drop of variable renewable energies. • Spatial diversification has a positive effect on market value of renewable power. • Storage is important resource to alleviate market value drops of renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents simulation and energy evaluation of a photovoltaic charging centre intended to supply the demand of 244,000 electric vehicles in Chile. According to the obtained results, the transportation system was feasible from the solar radiation, energy consumption, geographic zone, type of PV farm and other sources. Notably, the studied region has a solar potential to supply 10% of the total domestic cars existing in Santiago, providing a total energy of 253.723 GWh/yr. Furthermore, based on the study factors, the design of the system consists of approximately 428,590 PV modules and an average power generation of 31.89 W/hour for one single module. Finally, the configuration of a solar charging facility allows applying a new method of energy supply to electric cars that improves the environmental conditions of the city and encourages sustainable development in the transport sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Carbon emissions from the Chilean public transport sector have doubled between 2000 and 2013. Thus, the need to find alternative clean-air solutions is becoming increasingly critical. With this in mind, this paper addresses a solution to the aforementioned problem by studying the conversion of both taxis and "colectivos" (public taxis with defined routes) into electric vehicles (EV) to be used in the Chilean public transport sector. In Chile, 80% of taxis are Nissan V16s, meaning that all of these vehicles will be replaced and end up in landfills within the next 5–8 years. This study presents an option to give a second life to these vehicles, addressing environmental and financial issues. It compares emissions from the Nissan V16's conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) with an equivalent electric conversion prototype. Furthermore, it analyses the CO 2 emissions from the EV that has been fully charged by the Chilean grid as well as one that has been charged by a solar photovoltaic system. A solar recharging station for EV taxis is designed, taking advantage of the high levels of solar radiation in Chile. The results show that EV conversion does not lead to real environmental benefits, in comparison to its ICE equivalent, when it is charged with the grid. However, the results also show a considerable decrease in cost and CO 2 emissions per km travelled when using solar energy to charge the batteries. Future challenges include identifying solutions to cope with solar intermittence and minimizing CO 2 emissions during periods of low radiation. Highlights • Conversion of ICE taxis into EVs in Chile. • Comparison of emissions of the Nissan V16 ICE with its electric conversion prototype. • Design of solar charging stations considering solar irradiation available in Chile. • Conversion does not show benefits when EV charged from electricity grid in comparison to ICV. • Results show decrease in running cost and CO2 emissions when EV charged from solar electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the context of a regional Chilean project (FIC Taltape project, BIP code 30158422-0), a multi-effect distillation (MED) pilot plant has been built and installed in a small community in the north of Chile (Taltape, Arica) in order to supply treated water for agricultural and domestic purposes. The aim of this paper is to assess the techno-economic feasibility of this system for supplying water with the required quality to the population. The characterization of the feed water and the effluents from the MED pilot plant (distillate and brine), obtained during five months of operation, has been firstly performed. Then, the prediction of the operation of the water treatment system with solar energy has been carried out using a typical meteorological year and the design of a static solar field that cover the thermal energy needs of the water treatment plant. The annual simulations of the MED pilot plant operating with solar energy showed that the water needs can be mostly covered using a static solar thermal field with a total area of 113.2 m2, which would generate roughly 46% of the total heat required by the water treatment plant. The technical analysis has been completed with an exhaustive economic assessment. The specific water costs have been determined for the MED pilot plant and the scale factor when the productivity is increased up to 5000 m3/day has been evaluated. The cost of distillated water produced by the MED plant varied from 15.0 USD$/m3 for the 10 m3/day production capacity to 1.25 USD$/m3 when this variable is increased to 5000 m3/day. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Techno-economic assessment of a solar MED plant located in a Chilean community • The characterization of the feed water and effluents from MED has been performed. • The plant has proved its feasibility to remove toxic elements as As and B. • Annual simulation model predicts the behavior of the MED plant with solar energy. • Economic assessment determines water costs of the MED plant for several capacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy demand in Chile arises mostly from mining, its largest industry that accounts for about 35% of total electricity consumption. Energy generation to satisfy this demand depends completely on imported fossil fuels. As a result, the mining industry faces several energy related challenges. In particular, the cost and environmental impact of fuel sources are threatening the competitiveness of the industry and urge for new developments. In that regard, the importance of using clean and cost-competitive renewable energy sources has increased significantly in Chile and several government policies helped to increase the investment in them. The impact has been particularly large in the development of solar energy in the northern part of the country, where almost all mines are located. In fact, the country has become one of the largest solar markets in Latin America thanks to its abundant solar resources, favorable market conditions, and successful policy reforms. Solar energy then, could play a significant role as an alternative to satisfy the mining industry's energy demand offering a broad range of technological solutions. This study examines the key issues -barriers and drivers- influencing the adoption of solar technologies in the Chilean mining industry from the perspective of mining actors. As a result of the analysis the paper also provides a scope for appropriate policy interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chile has set itself to achieve Greenhouse Gas emission neutrality, with at least 70% of electricity coming from renewable energy sources by 2050. To this end, institutional and regulatory frameworks have been improved, resulting in significant progress in medium and large-scale projects. However, solar energy production at residential level and its surplus injection to all distribution networks has been very limited. This paper analyzes the evolution of the regulatory energy policies in Chile in order to contrast it with an economic evaluation of residential projects. The analysis focuses on the city of Arica, one of the highest potential regions in terms of solar energy within the country. There, a particularly low penetration of residential solar energy usage has been observed. Based on the current situation, projections are made for Arica in 2050, through the identification of barriers and opportunities on a residential scale development. According to some recommendations, there is the need to design policies that take into account the particular characteristics of each region within the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantial adoption of solar rooftop systems in the residential sector resulting from the implementation of net metering policies can lead to worsening socioeconomic inequalities. This is because of the lack of information on the socioeconomic profiles of distributed solar generators. To fill this information gap and shed light on the determinants of solar photovoltaic distributed generation uptake, this paper aims to identify the profile of the first adopters of solar PV distributed generation by merging different databases. Using multilevel regression analysis, this study investigates how socioeconomic factors, project viability, and neighborhood variables, matter for adopting solar PV distributed generation in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. Results differ across countries, as institutional frameworks matter. In Brazil, adopters live in urban areas and are highly responsive to solar energy potential. In Chile, the size of the project matters. Finally, in Mexico, results show that demonstration effects play a crucial role in adoption. Income as a determining factor is inconclusive. Average spending on electricity matters in all countries. This study highlights the existence of heterogeneity in the distribution of solar distributed generators. To mitigate these distortions, this work suggests some recommendations to improve solar distribution net metering policies in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. • Some residential solar PVDG policies can exacerbate pre-existing socio-economic inequalities. • Socioeconomic factors, project viability, and neighborhood effects, matter for solar PVDG adoption. • Profile of solar PVDG adopters vary considerably by country. • Solar PVDG polices need to take adopters' characteristics into account to be more inclusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy sector in Chile demands a significant increase in renewable energy sources in the near future, and concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies are becoming increasingly competitive as compared to natural gas plants. Motivated by this, this paper presents a comparison between solar technologies such as hybrid plants and natural gas-based thermal technologies, as both technologies share several characteristics that are comparable and beneficial for the power grid. This comparison is made from an economic point of view using the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) metric and in terms of the systemic benefits related to flexibility, which is very much required due to the current decarbonization scenario of Chile's energy matrix. The results show that the LCOE of the four hybrid plant models studied is lower than the LCOE of the gas plant. A solar hybrid plant configuration composed of a photovoltaic and solar tower plant (STP) with 13 h of storage and without generation restrictions has an LCOE 53 USD/MWh, while the natural gas technology evaluated with an 85% plant factor and a variable fuel cost of 2.0 USD/MMBtu has an LCOE of 86 USD/MWh. Thus, solar hybrid plants under a particular set of conditions are shown to be more cost-effective than their closest competitor for the Chilean grid while still providing significant dispatchability and flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major challenge we face today in the energy sector is to meet the growing demand for electricity with less impact on the environment. South America is an important player in the renewable energy resource. Brazil accelerated the growth of photovoltaic installed capacity in 2018. From April of 2017 to April of 2018, the capacity increased by 1351.5%. It is expected to reach the value of 2.4 GW until the end of the year. The new Chilean regulation requests that 20% of the total electricity production in 2025 must come from renewable energy sources. The aim of this paper is to establish time series behavior changes between El Niño Southern Oscillation and the solar radiation resource in South America. The results can be used to validate the measured data of energy production for new solar plants. The method used to verify the behavior of the time series was the Detrended Fluctuation Analysis. Solar radiation data were collected in twenty-five cities distributed inside the Brazilian solar belt, plus six cities in Chile, covering the continent from east to west, in a region with high potential of solar photovoltaic generation. The results show the impact of El Niño Southern Oscillation on the climatic behavior of the evaluated data. It is a factor that may lead to the wrong forecast of the long-term potential solar power generation for the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chile has become one of the first few countries where renewable sources compete directly with conventional generation in price-based auctions. Moreover, the results of energy auctions during the last few years show a remarkable transition from conventional fossil fuels to renewable energies. In fact, the energy auction in 2017, to provide energy to customers from distribution companies, achieved a massive expansion in renewable technology at one of the lowest prices in the world. These positive results prompted the question if such results were permanent or temporal due to factors with limited effects. In this regard, this paper studies the key factors that drove the significant rise of renewable technologies in Chilean energy auctions, obtaining valuable lessons for regulators, not only in Chile, but also in the region and the world. For this purpose, we considered a well-proven method based on a hybrid multicriteria decision-making model to examine and prioritize the main drivers of the expansion of renewables in auctions. The results showed that some specific characteristics of the auction design, particularly the hourly supply blocks, the lead time for project construction, and contract duration, were the most significant drivers for the expansion of renewables in energy auctions. Moreover, the results showed that, provided that the auction design accommodates for such drivers, solar energy ends up as the most attractive technology in the Chilean auctions. The research also shows the main findings are robust by the application of a probabilistic sensitivity analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chile needs to increase its installed electric capacity to support economic growth. Currently, the total demand is 67,564 GW h and an additional 22,508 GW h will be needed by 2020 to meet the energy demand of industrial projects. The Chilean mining industry is a major electricity consumer in the country accounting for one third total consumption over today. Solar energy has the highest potential for growth in northern Chile as the north of the country hosts the highest solar resources of the world. In this paper we present a comprehensive review of the energy supply and demand status, planning and prospects in the country with focus on solar photovoltaic- and solar thermal-projects. As of the end of 2014, a solar capacity of 2384 MW are operational and under construction, and more than 10,000 MW of solar power plants have been proposed; most solar projects are located in northern regions where the mining takes place. Considering a conservative scenario where one half of the proposed solar projects would be operational before 2020, solar technology could cover a great part of the country’s energy requirements. We evaluated eight operating PV plants and three operating solar thermoelectric plants based on a multi-criteria assessment to offer a reference point for assessing future projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an agent-based model of the technological adoption of solar panels, including potential adopters' characteristics and their interactions. This study analyzes the theoretical impact of seven social influence strategies on the adoption of solar panels by householders within a solar neighborhood in the Providencia district, Chile. In this case study, established adopters account for 0.9% of the population, opinion leaders for 1.3%, and individuals in the network for 97.8%. Considering the population's high-level ambition and tolerance of uncertainty, we found that householders are mainly characterized as optimizers (89.7%), followed by inquirers (7.6%), repeaters (2.3%), and imitators (0.3%) agents. Our agent-based simulation model evaluated the social influence strategies based on economic, environmental, and social benefits. The results show that social influence strategies lead to a 19.27% increase, on average, in the total number of adopters concerning the base case. Then, we performed a multi-objective analysis to select the best adoption strategy. These results show that selecting the most connected agents in the network is a robust strategy the decision-makers have environmental or financial concerns. However, if the decision-makers' primary interest is maximizing the diffusion scope of solar panel neighborhoods, random agent selection is the most advisable strategy, given its ease of implementation. [Display omitted] • Consumat approach and Campbell's paradigm were integrated into a simulation model. • The results from seven social influence strategies are compared. • Selective seeding and random seeding are found to be the most effective strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of water management, desalination industry has faced various economic and environmental challenges. Renewable energies and the incorporation of operational strategies such as demand-side management have been able to contribute with the aim of facing them. Nonetheless, it is necessary to continue studying demand-side management for water supply systems emphasising it as a strategic tool to make operational decisions. This article presents a methodology based on a novel Mixed-Integer Linear Programming model in order to program the operation of a seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant with one pumping station for a desertic remote agricultural zone, in accordance with the principles of demand-side management. A photovoltaic solar plant connected to the grid is considered as a renewable energy source. The mathematical model aims to establish the optimal hourly operating load of the system that minimises the daily margin of purchased electricity costs minus sales income of generated electricity. The case study where the methodology is tested is an agricultural area in Northern Chile. The proposed methodology in this paper establishes the basis for future research and industrial applications, considering that it can be generalised to other geographical situations, as well as being modifiable to be adapted for more complex water supply systems and/or other renewable energy sources. • A novel optimisation model was developed to manage a water supply system operation. • The developed optimisation model is based on demand-side management principles. • Demand-side management enables more efficient use of renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the last decades the developments on desalination field have been focused on energy consumption and costs reduction. However, water recovery and brine disposal are becoming a matter of concern to desalination industry. In this work, a Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) unit coupled with a Solar Micro Gas Turbine (SMGT) system is presented to address, among others, the challenges of mining industry in remote areas, in particular, fossil fuel dependence, water availability and pollution derived from effluents disposal. As a way to assess the feasibility of the proposal, a techno-economic analysis of the application in two Southern American regions (Chile and Ecuador) of photovoltaic modules, wind turbines and Solar Micro Gas Turbines is performed. Afterwards, the main novel feature of the new system—i.e., the ZLD unit—is described and a sensitivity analysis on its functioning whilst coupled with the SMGT is carried out. The aim is to propose a preliminary design of the ZLD process. The selection of the optimal ratio between exhaust gases and brine mass flow rates is analyzed, as well as variation in inlet salinity and temperatures. Furthermore, the water which could be recovered from effluents, at the same time that the heat of exhaust gases from SMGT is harvested, is quantified. Lastly, according to the results obtained, a preliminary design of a 10 kWe rated power SMGT system, coupled to Reverse Osmosis (RO) and ZLD units, is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urban growth and enhanced quality of life have significantly increased the demands for indoor heating, especially in the developing world. In Chile, this demand is provided largely through low quality biomass which creates pollution problems. Due to the medium to high solar resource in most of Chile, solar thermal networks with seasonal thermal storage should be considered. In this paper, we assessed the use of solar energy with seasonal thermal energy storage to provide domestic heating through a heat network. For this, we performed a simulation-based multi-objective optimisation of the system's design with cost and greenhouse gas emissions as objectives for two locations in Chile. Our results show that solar thermal networks are cost-competitive with conventional alternatives. Furthermore, the inclusion of seasonal thermal storage could improve the system performance decreasing the emissions by around 90% while increasing the L C O E by less than 20% compared with a conventional gas-heated network or resistive electric heating. We found that for specific system configurations and locations solar district heating with long term storage could be cost-competitive with burning firewood if externalities such as the social costs of local pollution were considered in the economic analysis. • First solar thermal district network analysis in South America including long term storage. • Evaluation of optimal solar collector' tilt angle considering the effects of seasonal storage. • Optimal supply and return temperature analysis for mild winter climates. • Optimisation and assessment of system's design for minimising total costs and emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that most of the mines in Chile are situated in regions with high solar resources, solar power could play a significant role as an alternative solution to satisfy the electricity demand in the mining industry. This paper aims to investigate the feasibility of integrating solar power technology into copper concentrate plants (CCPs). Three commercial technologies (PV, CSP, and hybrid PV-CSP) are considered for integration into four existing CCPs of different sizes and located in different regions. To provide comprehensive analysis, the design, performance and economic assessment of 12 cases are carried and the investment costs are estimated taking into account characteristics of the Chilean market as well as the effect of scale. The performance analysis reveals a strong influence of the degradation rate on the electricity production of solar power plants. The first-year capacity factor of the CSP units is around 68% while it is around 32% for the case of PV units. Due to the degradation in the performance of the components, the lifetime-averaged capacity factor is about 9% lower than that of the first year. The economic assessment indicates that PV is the most suitable technology for integration into the CCPs. The Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) of PV-CCPs ranges from 35.53 to 44.40 USD/MWhe, depending on the size and the location of the plant. The LCOE for the cases of CSP-CCPs and PV-CSP-CCPs ranges from 127.08 to 168.88 USD/MWhe and from 91.89 to 118.91 USD/MWhe, respectively. The modified internal rate of return (MIRR) of the PV-CCPs ranges from 8 to 9%, it discounted pack-back period (DPP) ranges from 5 to 6 years. The DPP PV-CSP-CCPs ranges from and from 15 to 23 years respectively. Overall, the CSP-CCPs are not atractive investments due to high LCOE, longer DPP, and MIRR. However, the sensitivity analysis revealed that its LCOE could be lowered by reducing the investment costs. For instance, a reduction of about 10% in the LCOE is possible if the specific investment costs of the TES is cut to about 10UDS/kW th. Image 1 • We focus on the integration of solar power technologies (SPTs) into the copper mining plants (CCPs). • 12 cases of solarized-CCPs is evaluated technically and economically. • The costs of solar power technologies in Chile (PV, CSP, and PV-CSP) are established. • The LCOE of PV-CCPs is about 4 times lower than that of CSP-CCPs and 50% that of PV-CSP-CCPs. • PV-CCPs and CSP-PV-CCPs are viable options but CSP-CCPs is viable only in sites of high solar radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, the promotion of renewable energy projects in Chile, especially solar energy projects, has become increasingly important, as energy dependence from foreign fossil fuels has increased and concerns regarding climate change continue to grow, posing a significant challenge to the local economy. Even though recent developments toward a more sustainable energy matrix in Chile have significantly increased the investment in the solar energy sector, social and environmental fragilities, combined with the lack of well-functioning institutions and the historical marginalization of indigenous communities who have been affected by several energy projects, result in gradually increasing conflictive situations. Unless proper mechanisms are designed and implemented to rapidly and correctly address these challenges, Chile could miss the opportunities that solar energy projects can provide to the development of its communities and to the economic growth of its regions. This article studies solar photovoltaics planning in Chile, focusing on the recent developments and the main challenges ahead, and proposes policy recommendations for effectively addressing these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generation of energy from renewable sources is a fundamental aspect for the sustainable development of society, and several energy sources such as solar, biomass, biogas, and wind must be used to the maximum to meet existing needs. In Chile, there are villages that are off-grid. A real case study is presented in this research. To meet the needs of this village we have proposed a mathematical optimization model using a CPLEX optimizer to generate the necessary energy power while minimizing the cost of energy (COE). In this study, different scenarios have been evaluated with respect to the existing energy availabilities, for example, in different periods of the year, demonstrated in terms of economic costs, the viability of resources such as biomass and biogas, and the viability of the energy production of wind power given the associated high costs. Finally, the effect of the use of renewable energy in consideration of CO2 emissions is studied in our research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]