GreenPowerMonitor , a DNV company, has been selected to manage, control and monitor the Sol de los Andes photovoltaic park, the latest and largest commercial operation in Chile of Opdenergy, a leading independent producer of sustainable energy.

With an installed capacity of 104 MWp, distributed among more than 239,000 bifacial photovoltaic modules, the Sol de los Andes solar park will contribute to reaching Chile’s aim for a 70% renewable power mix by 2030, and carbon neutrality by 2050.

Last autumn, Chile’s constituent assembly approved a declaration that recognizes that “the new constitution is written in a context of Climate and Ecological Emergency and therefore [must include] guarantees of environmental […] mitigation, adaptation and transformation to face the climate and ecosystem crisis.” However, Chile still relies heavily on fossil fuels and so far depends to a great degree on negative emissions by its forest mass to reach its net-zero target.

Sol de los Andes is located 15 km from Diego de Almagro, Atacama Region, in an area with high levels of solar radiation and an estimated generation of more than 280 gigawatt hours per year (GWh/year), which would be equivalent to the annual consumption of 35,000 homes, avoiding the emission of 108,000 tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere per year.

For this project, Opdenergy has relied on GPM and its local GPM SCADA management solution, which will allow any device in the plant to be individually controlled, execute all types of commands and provide data on any parameter in real time.

Juan Carlos Arévalo, CEO at GreenPowerMonitor and Executive Vice President at DNV Energy Systems declared: “The growth of renewable energy installations is definitely a positive development for all – especially in Chile, where fossil fuels are prevalent in the energy mix, and the near-perfect conditions for photovoltaics in the Atacama desert make betting on solar power to achieve decarbonization an obvious choice ; as more and more green energy sources are integrated into existing grids, systems must be adapted to new-generation technologies and fitted to the specific features of renewables to efficiently manage operations. It is a privilege to continue working with Opdenergy, with whom we have a long history of pioneering the energy transition”.

“For GPM, being part of this project means strengthening our collaboration with Opdenergy and contributing with our digital monitoring solutions to the country’s energy transition. Digitalisation is undoubtedly a determining factor in accelerating this transition and ensuring a more sustainable future”, says Josep Berengueras, Regional Manager Iberia and Latin America.

DNV acquired GreenPowerMonitor in June 2016, with the aim of combining its experience in the wind sector with GreenPowerMonitor’s PV asset monitoring and management solutions. Currently, GreenPowerMonitor is managing almost 4 GW in Chile and more than 50 GW (between solar and wind) in 90 countries.