Atacama desert solar power

Will solar power change in the Atacama Desert?

A group of scientists from the Universidade de Vigo in Spain have sought to predict possible future variations in the solar photovoltaic power resource in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, the world's region with the highest solar radiation levels, during the period 2021–2060.

Does Atacama have solar power?

On account of these characteristics, Atacama has exceptional conditions for producing solar power, and effectively, the solar power installed capacity in this region represents 92.9% of the total installed capacity in Chile (4,150 MW) . The potential of Atacama for solar energy production has made it called “the solar El Dorado” .

Does RSDs influence photovoltaic energy generation in the Atacama Region?

However, photovoltaic energy generation relies on not only RSDS , but also other variables, such as surface air temperature (TAS) and surface wind velocity (sfcWind). In this vein, the existing literature is insufficient to provide useful meteorological and climatological information for PV generation in the Atacama region.

Where is the Atacama Desert located?

In the north-central part of the country is located the Atacama Desert. With an area of 105,000 km 2, it covers most of the Antofagasta region and the northern part of the Atacama region . It is one of the driest places in the world and one of the few where annual irradiance exceeds 2,500 kWh/m 2 .

Are there aerosols in the Atacama Desert?

Although few measurements are available for the Atacama desert, aerosols are expected to be abundant in the Atacama Desert due the dry and arid conditions that tend to favor wind-blown dust.

What is the climatological AOD of the Atacama Desert?

Retrievals from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 21, 22 allow estimating for the Atacama Desert an annual climatological AOD slightly lower than 0.1 in the visible part of the spectrum.