Solar Energy System Equipment in South America

In the scientific literature reviewed exists a gap considering the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies in the solar energy industry in South America, such as (i) sensors, (ii) IoT, (iii) cloud computing, (iv) data analytics, (v) artificial intelligence, and (vi) digital twins, among others.

A report by the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) highlights that Chile led the way in photovoltaic installations in 2014, providing three-quarters of the energy generated in all of Latin America that year. This growth has been constant, which has allowed more than 50% of its electricity matrix to be made up of clean energy.

Solar energy, which is at the helm of global energy transition goals, is a crucial energy source powering the transition for the South American continent as well. Latin America receives some of the highest solar radiation in the world, making it a hub for solar energy and photovoltaic systems.

In South America, regulation on the connection of small-scale photovoltaic systems is recent, given that this type of generation has been integrated into the energy matrix for a few years.

In this way, the implementation of facilities for the generation of electrical energy through clean energy sources has been developed, with solar energy being one of the most attractive alternatives in the region. Table 9 shows a ranking of the countries in South America according to the criterion of installed capacity (MW).

As of 2023, there is only one tower concentrated solar power (CSP) facility in operation in the South American region, located in the Atacama Desert region in Chile, with a total installed capacity of 110 MW and a time of stored energy in the form of heat equivalent to 17.5 h.