Central & South America

Colombia’s new decree includes requirements that energy communities must meet, such as rules on collective self-consumption and collective distributed generation.

Reports of broken module glass with no obvious cause have begun to crop up at large PV projects. Module design, glass manufacturing, and interactions in the field between modules and trackers are at play and a clear solution has yet to emerge. Early signs suggest an update to certification standards may be needed.

PowerChina has finished building a 480 MW solar plant in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, which is recognized for having the world’s highest solar radiation levels.

Thresholding methods have commonly been used to characterize the soiling accumulated on glass coupons. Researchers led by the Sapienza University of Rome have identified 16 automatic thresholding methods that may be used for analyzing soiling on PV panels.

A new initiative by the Chilean Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of National Assets is expected to cover storage projects with an aggregate capacity of 13 GWh, distributed mainly in the regions from Arica y Parinacota to Atacama.

Brazilian conglomerate Intelbras says its new storage solution consists of one or more batteries that can be connected in parallel, with up to 10 units. It reportedly has a useful lifespan of more than eight years.

The climate crisis threatens water management and the water crisis in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 2023 illustrates the damage new industrial projects could cause if not thoroughly assessed. With green hydrogen projects gaining international prominence, it is vital they are properly planned.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, says that irradiance patterns across South America last month were impacted by moisture from El Niño, high pressure and the Andes – but smoke from Bolivian wildfires presented an “anomaly.”

Oversupply is hitting some solar manufacturers hard but grid constraints and labor shortages are unlikely to hold the solar industry back in 2024.

Honeywell Process Solutions has announced plans to install about 124 MWh of its battery energy storage systems alongside 140 MW of solar at six sites to help the US Virgin Islands cover 30% of its electricity needs.