Solar energy is undoubtedly an energy source that will allow us to face the main challenges associated with development and climate change. Renewable energies are the future of Chile, and this future will soon be upon us. Today 79% of the energy projects that are being built in our country are renewable. Only between January and July of 2017, 94% of the MW submitted to environmental assessment  were from solar projects. 

The emergence of new competitive technologies compels us to continually update our knowledge, in order to opportunely maximize the benefits that they offer. Matters such as the complementarity between different renewable energies, the role that energy storage technologies will play in the future, or the best way to manage the operation of energy systems with a high penetration of non-conventional renewables are being analyzed worldwide.

In this context, SolarPACES enriches the debate on the opportunities that  solar concentration technologies opens for the future of Chile and the world.

Chile has the goal that by the year 2050 70% of our power generation will come from renewable sources, and we will achieve this. The Energy Agenda launched by President Bachelet establishes the need to build a sustainable energy matrix at reasonable prices and to take advantage of domestic energy resources. Solar energy will play a key role in this, not only because we have the best radiation in the world, but also because we have reached truly competitive prices compared to other technologies.

For the first time Chile will host the SolarPACES Conference, the world’s most important meeting on solar concentration technologies.  Each year this event gathers more than 500 researchers and representatives of the industry from nearly forty countries. It is a space where science and industry meet to discuss the main technological advances and the frontier of knowledge in solar concentration technologies and solar chemistry. We are looking for economical and sustainable technological options based on the locally available solar resource for all our productive sectors, and in Chile it is especially  relevant for us to respond to the current and future challenges facing the mining sector.

We want our country to be renewable, and solar energy is a mainstay to reach that. We want Chileans to be  leaders in this revolution. We hope to welcome all relevant actors on the national level and we look forward to sharing our experience with the international leaders of this industry. It is therefore a great pleasure to invite you on behalf of the Ministry of Energy and the SolarPACES organizing committee, to participate in this exciting conference and enjoy the hospitality of our beautiful country!

Minister of Energy 

Government of Chile

Chair of SolarPACES 2017