Once again, AES chooses Chile to test new solar technology

July 31, 2021

• The pilot project will be installed at the Andes Solar Hub, in the mountains of the Atacama Desert.
• The project is part of AES Gener’s Greentegra strategy, which seeks to accelerate the decarbonization, boost renewable energy and generate employment, value and local development.

Santiago, July 30, 2020.- Starting today, all eyes are on Chile’s renewable energy sector, after AES Corporation’s decision to choose the country as the testing ground for an innovative technology, which could revolutionize the way solar PV parks are built worldwide.

This new technology, called Maverick, developed by the Australian company 5B, allows for the deployment time of photovoltaic projects to be reduced significantly, three times faster than conventional PV construction methods. In addition, the amount of land required is also reduced considerably, using only half the surface of current projects.

“The 10 MW pilot project, using 5B’s Maverick system, will be deployed in the Andes Solar Hub, our initial photovoltaic project in Chile and where Andes Solar II is located, the world’s most efficient solar park, which is currently ramping up operations to provide 80MW to the grid”, affirms the CEO of AES Gener, Ricardo Falú. “This demonstrates the solid progress of our Greentegra strategy, with which we seek to become the energy solution provider of choice of our customers, and which aims to accelerate decarbonization, boost investments in renewable energy, as well as generate employment, value and local development ”, he adds.

The 5B Maverick pilot will be installed in the Andes mountains of the Antofagasta Region, where low mountain temperatures coupled with high solar radiation are ideal conditions for efficient solar energy production.

This is a new sign of AES Gener’s commitment to Chile, and which is in line with its Greentegra strategy, launched in May 2018. The company plans to incorporate 2,600 MW of renewable energy (solar, wind and hydroelectric) and batteries to its portfolio by 2024, generating more than 11,000 jobs, with a total investment of $ 3.4 billion.

“AES Gener has and will always be committed to Chile. 15 years ago, we took the commitment and the challenge of solving the energy crisis caused by the cutoff of gas from Argentina, and we did so by more than doubling our installed capacity in Chile with competitive and reliable energy,” says Ricardo Falú. “Since 2018 we took on the commitment and challenge to accelerate the decarbonization process of the energy matrix by incorporating renewable energy and batteries into the system, with cutting edge technology such as 5B’s Maverick; and the closure of all our coal-fired units as soon as security and sufficiency of the electrical system allows to do so. That is our commitment”, he ends.