Small Farmers Reap the Growing Benefits of Solar Energy in Chile – Global Issues
SANTIAGO, October 29 (IPS) – The production of solar energy through the use of panels installed on smallholder farms or on the roofs of community organizations is beginning to benefit many farmers in Chile.
This force creates professional irrigation systems, water pumping and reducing farmers’ debts by supporting their business. It also enables farmers’ cooperatives to share the fruits of their surplus.
The vast solar and wind power of this remote country of 19.5 million people is the basis of a revolution that is beginning to benefit not only large generators.
The potential for generating solar and wind energy is estimated at 2,400 gigawatts, which is 80 times the total capacity of Chile’s current energy matrix.
Two farming families
Fanny Lastra, 55, was born in the municipality of Mulchén, 550 kilometers south of Santiago, inland in the region of Bío Bío. He has lived in the rural area of Mirador del Bío Bío in the city since he was 8 years old.
“We won a grant of 12 million pesos (US$12,600) to install a photovoltaic system with sprinklers to make better use of the little water we have on our five-hectare farm and have good alfalfa crops to feed the animals,” he told IPS. from his hometown.
He refers to the services offered to applicants selected according to their background and the condition of their farms by two government agencies, mainly through grants: the National Commission for Irrigation (CNR) and the Center for Agricultural Development (Indap).
“Before we watered all night, we didn’t sleep, and now we can water fully. The panel gives us the power to expel the water by using sprinklers. In the future we plan to apply for another photovoltaic panel to draw water and fill the storage pool,” said Lastra.
The area has received a lot of rain this year, but a larger reservoir would allow for water storage during dry, recurring periods.
“We have rights (rights), but there are many of us small farmers who have to plan. I have 28 hours every nine days. That’s why we applied to do another job,” he said.
Lastra works with his children on the site, which focuses mainly on livestock.
The conversion of agricultural land like his into plots for second homes, which is prevalent in many regions of Chile, has also reached Bío Bío and caused problems in Lastra. For example, recently dogs abandoned by their owners have killed 50 of his lambs.
That is why he will gradually switch to raising larger livestock to continue the Grandmother’s Tradition, as he christened his production of fresh, mature cheeses and dulce de leche.
Marisol Pérez, 53, produces vegetables in greenhouses and outdoors on her hectare of land in the town of San Ramón, in the municipality of Quillón, 448 kilometers south of Santiago, also in the region of Bío Bío.
In February 2023 he was affected by a large fire. “Two greenhouses, a warehouse with motor cultivators, sprayers and all the equipment burned. And a chicken house with 200 birds worth 4500 pesos (US$ 4.7) each. Thank God we saved part of the house and the photovoltaic panel ,” He told IPS in his area.
Pérez has been working the land with his sisters and their husbands for 11 years.
“We started with irrigation and solar panels. After the fire, we applied again to CNR. Since the panel didn’t burn, they helped us with a greenhouse. The government gives us a certain amount and we have to put in at least 10%,” he explained.
The first grant was worth US$1,053 and the second, after the fire, was US$842. With both he was able to reinstall the drip system and rebuild the greenhouse, now made of steel.
“Having a solar panel allows us to save a lot. Before, we were paying about 200,000 pesos (US$210) a month. With what we saved with the panel, now we pay 6,000 pesos (US$6.3)”, he explains with satisfaction. .
In his opinion, “solar panel is a very good thing. If I don’t use water for greenhouses, I use it for my house. We live from what we harvest and plant. That’s our life. And I’m happy like that,” he said.
Cases of one municipality and two municipalities
The increase in solar panels is also due to the decrease in their price. Solarity, a Chilean solar energy company, reported historically low prices.
In 2021 its price per kilowatt (kWp) was 292 dollars. It increased to 300 in 2022, then decreased to 202 to 128 dollars in 2024.
In 2021 Cooperativa Intercomunal Peumo (Coopeumo) commissioned the first public photovoltaic plant in Chile. Today it has 54.2 kWp installed in two plants, with about 120 panels in total.
The energy produced is used elsewhere and the surplus is deposited with Compañía General de Electricidad (CGE), a private distributor, which pays its contribution every month.
This amount contributes to improving the support of its 350 members, all farmers in the area, including technical assistance, sales of agricultural implements, grain sales and tax consultation.
Coopeumo’s goals include reducing the emission of carbon dioxide (C02) into the atmosphere and benefiting its members.
It also benefits the municipalities of Pichidegua and Las Cabras, located 167 and 152 kilometers south of Santiago, as well as schools, health and neighboring institutions.
“The electricity savings in a typical month, like August 2024, was 492,266 pesos (US$518),” said Ignacio Mena, 37, a computer engineer who works as a network manager in Coopeumo, based in the municipality of Peumo, O’ Higgins, which borders the Santiago Metropolitan Region to the south.
In an interview with IPS at his office in Pichidegua, he said that the construction of the first plant cost the equivalent of US$42,105, which was contributed equally by Coopeumo and the private organization Agencia de Sostenibilidad Energética.
Constanza López, 35, a risk prevention engineer and head of the environmental department in the municipality of Las Cabras, appreciates the donation of panels installed on the roof of the municipal building. They have a capacity of 54 kilowatts and will start operating from 2023.
“We rewarded them by using the Energy Sustainability Agency. They funded 30% and we funded the rest,” he told IPS at the municipal offices. “This year is the first year that this system is fully operational and we must reach a high level of production,” he said.
In the case of the municipality of Las Cabras, the estimated annual savings is approximately US$10,605.
Panels and family farming, a good cycle
There is a virtuous cycle between the use of panels and savings for small farmers. The Department of Energy estimates this savings at about 15% for small farms.
“The use of solar technology to use electricity is another effective way for users in the agricultural sector. More and more systems are being installed, which make it easier to reduce the electricity bills of customers,” said the Department in a written response.
Since 2015, successive governments have promoted the use of renewable energy, especially solar photovoltaic systems, within the agricultural sector.
“There has been a continuous increase in the number of projects that use renewable energy for personal use. In total, 1,741 irrigation projects have been made with a power of 13,852 kW and an investment of 59,951 million pesos (US$63.1 million),” said the department.
The CNR told IPS that so far in 2024 it has funded more than 1,000 projects, delivered by farmers throughout Chile.
“This is an investment of about 78 billion pesos (US$82.1 million), considering the subsidy of about 62 billion pesos (US$65.2) and the contribution of the irrigators,” said the statement.
Of these projects, at least 270 include non-standard renewable energy, “such as photovoltaic systems associated with irrigation works”, it added.
According to the National Electricity Coordinator, the independent technical body that coordinates the entire Chilean electricity system, between September 2023 and August 2024, the combined generation of wind and solar in Chile reached 28,489 gigawatt hours.
In the first quarter of 2024, non-conventional renewable energy, such as solar and wind among others, will account for 41% of electricity generation in Chile, according to statistics from the same technical body.
© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
Source link
