Metro of Santiago will become the first public transportation system in the world to run mostly on solar energy. Currently serving 2.2 million passengers per day the public transportation company recently signed an agreement with Total and SunPower Corp, who will supply it with 300 gigawatt hours per year of clean solar energy, a 60% of Metro of Santiago total needs for power.
The electric energy will be generated by El Pelícano Solar Project, a 100-megawatt (AC) project near the municipalities of La Higuera (Coquimbo Region) and Vallenar (Atacama Region).
The construction of the solar power plant will begin this year, and it is expected to start opperations by the end of 2017.
SunPower, a leading global solar technology company and an affiliate of Total, will design and build the project and provide operations and maintenance once it is operational. The company will construct a SunPower® Oasis® power plant system at the site. The Oasis system is a fully-integrated, modular solar power block that is engineered for rapid and cost-effective deployment of utility-scale solar projects while optimizing land use. The technology includes robotic solar panel cleaning capability that uses 75% less water than traditional cleaning methods and can help improve system performance by up to 15%.
“This contract is expressing Chile’s commitment for a sustainable world. We are proud to partner with Metro in developing a new way of powering public transportation systems through competitive, reliable and clean energy. This project supports our ambition to become the responsible energy major,” says Bernard Clément, senior vice president of Business & Operations, of the New Energies division of Total.
“SunPower is proud to serve Metro of Santiago’s growing energy demand with cost-competitive, renewable solar power,” saidEduardo Medina, executive vice president, global power plants, SunPower. “Solar is an ideal energy source for Chile because of the country’s high solar resource and transparent energy policies. In partnership with Total, SunPower is committed to the continued growth of our business in Chile.”
Image over the headline.- Chile President Michelle Bachelet at today’s announcement by Total and SunPower to provide solar power for Metro de Santiago, the world’s first metro to run on solar.
