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ESOs Paranal Observatory (initials in English for the European Southern Observatory), located in the Antofagasta region, Chile, already has the supply provided by the Paranal-Armazones photovoltaic plant, developed together with the Saesa Group. In the future, it is expected to power the worlds largest optical telescope being built there.
The plant is divided into two segments, 4 MW and 5 MW, respectively. In the first case, capable of covering the current and projected demand during the day -something important, since it is the period in which the greatest energy demand is produced by the cooling systems of the telescopes- of the Paranal Observatory, in which there are multiple telescopes including the Very Large Telescope (VLT), the worlds most advanced optical and near-infrared telescope.
In the second case, the installation is dimensioned to be able to cover, also during the day under normal conditions, the total power demand of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), which will be the largest optical telescope in the world, with a main mirror of 39 meters in diameter. In fact, the initiative contemplates supplying solar energy to its construction works.
The complex consists of 18,565 bifacial panels with trackers, distributed over 7.2 hectares of land, whose total 9 MW of power, and a plant factor of 37%, make it the largest solar structure in Chile that supplies renewable energy to a astronomical Observatory.
Its construction spanned nine months and meant the creation of 120 direct jobs, with a total investment of close to 10 million dollars.
It is ensured that the excess energy from the plant will be injected into the National Electric System.
The start of operations of the ELT is scheduled for the end of this decade and it is claimed that it will be a telescope that will revolutionize astronomy, since it could detect planets similar to Earth orbiting other stars. Therefore, it could be the first instrument to find evidence of life outside our Solar System. |
