The world’s sunniest PV testing field

French energy giant Engie recently commissioned a PV module testing facility in Chile's Atacama Desert, which has the world's highest solar radiation. In a short interview with pv magazine, Thore Müller – head of bifacial PV R&D and solar services at Engie Laborelec – explained the advantages of testing solar panels, inverters and cleaning systems in hot, arid environments.

Engie Laborelec, a unit of French energy giant Engie, recently commissioned a PV module testing facility and innovation center in northern Chile’s Atacama Desert – an area with the world’s highest solar radiation.

The new facility is designed to test all kinds of PV technologies, including inverters and cleaning systems, for large-scale solar power projects. “The test bed is designed for large-scale applications and will help optimize designs based on a systemic approach,” said Thore Müller, head of bifacial PV R&D at Engie Laborelec. “We want to shift the general view away from a linear project development where components are evaluated and picked individually and towards a making design choices based on their combined impact on the LCOE. Then, we want to test and develop innovative technologies to maximize the yield.”

Engie Laborelec is currently testing six different bifacial panels from three different manufacturers, two different trackers, and string inverters. “But most importantly, we test combinations of these to see how they affect each other,” Müller explained.

They will make use of albedo measurements, rear and front side plane-of-array irradiance measurements, and soiling measurements. A special focus will be given to the distribution of rear-side irradiance measurements to assess mismatch losses that might stem from different design choices.

The desert environment and the high solar radiation of the region offer particular “advantages,” including little variability within days, high levels of soiling, and low rainfall. “These conditions are typical for many sites where new large-scale power plants are planned: Chile, Mexico, Middle East,” Müller explained. “We believe that a test center that reflects such conditions will be especially helpful.”

Engie announced a 1 GW solar and wind development plan for Chile in late 2019, with a planned investment of up to $1 billion. The first two projects in the plan – the Capricorn Solar Park and the Calama Wind Site – are currently being built. Construction started on a third project, the Tamaya Solar Park, in the first quarter. However, at roughly 370 MW combined, the three projects represent a mere fraction of Engie’s full 1 GW plan.

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