The Tama Te Ra'a photovoltaic plant (first rays of the sun in the Rapa Nui language) marks the beginning of the journey of this paradisiacal enclave, located in the middle of the Pacific, towards an energy system that is one hundred percent clean. The facility, designed and built by ACCIONA, was donated to the local electricity company as a contribution to the sustainable development of one of mankind's scenic and ethnographic jewels.
The solar plant will produce an annual average of around 200 MWh, avoiding the direct emission of 135 tonnes of CO2 per year in the process (not including the emissions produced by the transport of fossil fuel from the continent). This clean production will also avoid 8% of the consumption of diesel fuel for electricity generation, which has to be regularly brought by sea from the Chilean mainland.
The photovoltaic system consists of 400 polycrystalline silicon panels mounted on ten fixed structures, with a total peak capacity of 128 kWp (100 kW rated capacity). It is equipped with an inverter that converts the DC electricity generated into AC, a transformer that raises the output voltage from 0.42 kilovolts (kV) to 13.2 kV and a 100-meter-long line to transport the power to the Mataveri substation, where it is injected into the island's grid.
With a surface area of 163.6 km2 and well-known worldwide for its archeological remains (particularly the large stone statues called 'moái'), Easter Island's population is just over 5,000, and mainly concentrated in the capital, Hanga Roa. 40% of the island's territory is covered by the Rapa Nui National Park, declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1995.
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Location: Hanga Roa, Easter Island (Chile).
- Peak capacity: 128 MWp.
- Rated capacity: 100 MW.
- Technology: Solar photovoltaic on fixed structures.
- Start up: 2018
- Owner: Donated to SASIPA (CORFO)
KEY POINTS
- First grid-connected renewable facility on Easter Island
- Donated by ACCIONA as a contribution to a more sustainable electricity system on the island.
- Average annual output of some 200 MWh.
- 135 tonnes of CO2 emissions avoided a year.
- Clean production that avoids 8% of the consumption of diesel fuel for electricity generation.
- Located near the airport of the capital (Hanga Roa).
- Made up of 400 PV modules on 10 fixed structures.
- Inaugurated by Chilean Energy Minister Susana Jiménez (9/11/2018).