| 21 May 2012
A huge country of 3.8 million square kilometres, stretching from the Equator to the South Pole and home to a population of 40.1 million inhabitants embraces renewable energy. Argentina, despite its economic problems, with its copious amounts of sunshine and fiscal incentives is investing heavily in solar energy. An example of this is to be found nestled under the Andes in the province of San Juan, more known globally for its wine production, but also exceedingly rich in quartz.
Under the auspices of the Governor of San Juan, Jose Luis Gioja, and the technical guidance of the Spanish group COMSA EMTE, a pilot photovoltaic park of 1.2MW was built by EPSE in the Ullum desert near San Juan. This comprises a mixture of monocrystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous panels spread over 6 hectares.
In an interview with Governor Gioja he said he was proud that his province was pioneering solar energy in Argentina and told us of the imminent upcoming visit of the Argentine President, Christina Fernandez de Kirchner to inaugurate their second photovoltaic development in Canada Honda.
Francisco Alcoba President of EPSE told Solar Novus Today that this project, in its first phase of 5 megawatts with a planned expansion to 20MW due by 2013 and a total investment of USD 26,000.000 is the largest in Latin America to date.
The outlook for renewable energy in Argentina is definitively sunny, with many incentives in place for investors and potential partners. An amount of international renewable energy companies were already in evidence at the Clean Energy show and conference held in the capital, Buenos Aires in April.
This country along with Chile and Brazil with their growing economies and splendid renewable energy resources, not to mention huge amounts of solar radiation will be one of the new markets for solar development in years to come.
Witten by Eliane Maingard, Correspondent, Latin America, Solar Novus Today
