Belmont, California-based SunEdison, a global solar energy services provider and subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. announced Thursday that it has signed an agreement with Chilean steel and mining group CAP SA to construct what is expected to be the largest solar photovoltaic power plant in Latin America and one of the largest in the world. The plant is designed to have an installed capacity of 100MW (DC) and will be located in the Atacama Desert of Chile. It is estimated that the plant will produce as much as 15 percent of the mining group's energy needs.
According to Jaime Charles , CAP group President, "this agreement serves to reaffirm CAP's commitment to innovation and sustainable development in Chile, by using state-of-the-art technology to meet the renewable energy goals set by the Chilean Government. SunEdison's track record and long-term commitment to projects were key factors in selecting this company as our partner on this initiative."
The plant will be built using SunEdison technology. More than 300,000 SilvantisTM monocrystalline silicon modules will be installed, which are made from non-toxic, non-polluting material that can be recycled at the end of its useful life, together with solar trackers designed by SunEdison, for which steel produced by CAP is expected to be used.
Once completed, the project will be managed by the SunEdison Renewable Operations Center (ROC).