On Friday, December 18, the second edition of “La Fuerza del Sol” was launched in the Aula Magna of the Universidad de Tarapacá. The book highlights the solar wealth of Arica and Parinacota and the work of Ayllu Solar, a SERC Chile initiative in that region supported by its strategic partners: BHP Foundation and Fundación Chile.

The first edition of this book was launched in 2017 with the purpose of beginning to document the history of solar energy, highlighting especially the significant regional contribution to its development. Three years later, in this version, the content is updated and a more comprehensive report on the work carried out by the communities, with the support of Ayllu Solar, is provided.

Lorena Cornejo, regional director of the Ayllu Solar Project and academic at the Universidad de Tarapacá, was the host of the launch ceremony. On that occasion, she stated: “For 6 years we have worked with urban and rural communities, schools, neighborhood organizations, higher education institutions, researchers, entrepreneurs and now, in a new stage, with the Ayllu Solar Associative Network, to position Arica and Parinacota in the medium term as a benchmark and a hub for the development of community-scale solar applications in Latin America.” In this context, she emphasized the purpose behind this edition of La Fuerza del Sol: “May it be the basis for future research and thus continue writing this story.”