05/26/2016
On May 23, Total and SunPower announced that they had signed a contract to provide solar electricity to power the subway system in Santiago, Chile.
Santiago's subway, used by 2.2 million people every day, will be the world's first public transit system powered by solar energy.
To meet this technological challenge, Total and SunPower will begin building the 100megawatt-capacity El Pelícano solar plant this year. The electricity produced there will cover up to 60% of the subway's energy needs. Located near the towns of La Higuera (Coquimbo region) and Vallenar (Atacama region), the plant will come on stream at the end of 2017.
"This contract demonstrates Chile's commitment to a sustainable world. With the Santiago subway, we are proud to be able to contribute to the development of new power supply systems for public transportation that are based on clean, reliable and competitive energy. This project illustrates our drive to become the responsible energy major," said Bernard Clément, Senior Vice President, Business & Operations of Total New Energies.
