SolarReserve Eyes Chile CSP Wins As Surplus PV Disrupts Markets

Précis:

The U.S.-based developer plans to repeat its bid for two CSP projects in Chile’s upcoming tender as the energy storage capability of the plants could prevent a growing oversupply of PV capacity and the costs are competitive against fossil fuels, Kevin Smith, CEO of SolarReserve, told CSP Today.

Spanish developer Solarpack Tecnologica set the world’s lowest ever PV price of $29.10/MWh for a 120 MW plant in Chile’s latest power generation auction which was completed on August 17.
Chile’s Atacama region benefits from high average Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) of 3800 kWh/m2 and this has prompted aggressive bid pricing from international PV and CSP developers.

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A recent surge in PV capacity helped to drive down daytime solar electricity prices to zero on 113 days by April this year, according to Chile’s central grid operator CDEC-SIC.

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