Enel Green Power has started construction of the 1.7MW La Silla solar photovoltaic plant in Chile.
It will be the first utility-scale PV plant in the world to combine smart and bifacial modules with conventional units.
EGP is investing approximately $3.4m in the plant, which is expected to be completed in the first half of this year.
The smart module uses a microchip that optimises production from each panel by allowing it to deliver electricity to the grid regardless of any eventual malfunctions affecting other panels.
The bifacial module captures solar energy from both sides of the PV panel as opposed to traditional modules, which capture energy from just one side of the panel.
The use of new panels is expected to increase power generation at the facility by between 5% and 10% compared with a conventional PV plant of equal size.
The new facility, which has a long-term power purchase agreement with the nearby La Silla astronomical observatory and will deliver its energy to Chile’s Central Region Interconnected System.
EGP chief executive officer Francesco Venturini said: “With La Silla, our continuous innovation in renewable energy technology will provide another example of excellence in clean energy generation, underscoring how sustainability and innovation must go hand in hand.
“We are looking forward to starting power supply to the observatory and we are excited about the range of opportunities that will emerge from these new ways of producing energy.”
Image: sxc
