Solar Sells in Chile for Cheapest Ever at Half the Price of Coal

[jpak]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-19/solar-sells-in-chile-for-cheapest-ever-at-half-the-price-of-coal

Solar power just sold for the lowest price ever, in Chile.

The Spanish developer Solarpack Corp. Tecnologica won contracts to sell power from a 120-megawatt solar plant for $29.10 a megawatt-hour at an energy auction this week.

That’s the lowest price on record for electricity from sunshine, surpassing a deal in Dubai in May. It’s the cheapest to date for any kind of renewable energy, and was almost half the price of coal power sold in the same event. According to Solarpack General Director Inigo Malo de Molina, it’s one of the lowest rates ever for any kind of electricity, anywhere.

“Solar energy technology has evolved and proved it is competitive,” Molina said in a telephone interview from Santiago Thursday. “Prices for electricity generation have changed drastically in the last years. Solar energy in Chile is now the cheapest in the market.”

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[Warpy]

1. Not surprised. It's why soal fields here in NM

keep popping up like mushrooms. It's very rare here to have the sun completely obscured for a full day; sun, we got.

[kristopher]

2. Where in NM?

Hope you don't mind if I ask, but I'm wondering if you've factored in the lost sunshine from wildfire smoke? </cynical anger>
Seriously, I love the state. Just visited on my way west after being away for 18 years. It's as beautiful as ever.

[Warpy]

3. North central. I've seen them nearly all the way up north

I've not driven south for some time, all my drugs are generics so I no longer have to go to Mexico every 6 months.

However, a lot of vacant lots now have solar installations. It's really nice to see.

(Just noticed the outrageous typo in the former post's title. Yeah, I can spell "solar.&quot