Argentina home photovoltaic solar system

Introduction There is a measure of agreement that Argentina's solar resource is ideal for photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal (ST) development, both for large- and small-scale (distributed) installations. The yearly Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index published by Ernst and Young places Argentina in the 18th position for PV .

Conclusions Our work found a large gap between Argentina's potential for solar energy utilization and the current solar energy deployment, despite advantages such as a high solar and land resources.

Solar thermal energy in Argentina was already considered a potential key energy source in 1975 , when a national R&D program for the development of solar energy and other renewables was launched, leading to numerous research programs (see next section) and the elaboration of norms and certification criteria for ST collectors .

However, despite significant natural potential, solar photovoltaic still represents only a small share of Argentina's total electricity generation. Although this picture may look bleak, a wide range of market segments relating to decentralised photovoltaic generation in Argentina have developed.

If Argentina were able to stabilize its economy and provide better incentives for solar, investors would be more apt to support renewable energy projects. However, the lack of residential distributed generation projects is hindering mainstream solar adoption.

The first contribution of photovoltaic electricity to Argentina´s grid system occurred in 2011, with a participation of 0.0014% to the total electricity demand, which is a modest contribution to the 1% incidence of renewable energy (RE) at the time, which included small, i.e., ≤50 MW, hydroelectric plants .