ENGIE’s Solar Test and Innovation Center was successfully commissioned last week, adding 120 kW to its existing 45 kW bi-facial photovoltaic installations.

Situated 70 km from Arica, northern Chile, the site is ENGIE’s most important R&D facility for solar energy. Innovative types of bi-facial solar panels, autonomous cleaning robots and sun trackers… are all examples of market available products and future emerging technologies being assessed or compared there.

This state-of-the-art installation will help design the large scale solar power plants of the future. It will enable ENGIE to further reduce the levelised cost of electricity of solar power and to develop new techniques to operate and maintain solar farms at record-low costs.

Special thanks to ENGIE Research, ENGIE Energia Chile and all partners and sub-contractors that made this project possible under the current circumstances.