After six years of implementation, on Wednesday, June 30, the symbolic closing of the Ayllu Solar project took place with an online seminar that evaluated the work and achievements of this SERC Chile initiative in the Arica and Parinacota Region. These were six years in which the Ayllu Solar team of professionals and researchers worked alongside communities on the development projects they wanted to promote, using solar energy.

In Pampa Concordia, a solar packing facility was developed to calibrate, clean, and pack the tomato production of the Small Farmers' Cooperative. You can watch the explanatory video here.

Camarones worked on river shrimp and trout farming using water of appropriate quality. A business model was also developed to collaborate in the socioeconomic development of Camarones, Taltape, and Maquita. You can watch the explanatory video here.

In Altos de Azapa Ayllu Solar chose to recover a decommissioned 50 kWp photovoltaic plant to connect it to the power grid by taking advantage of the Net Billing Law, resulting in energy savings for the farmers.

The project in Caleta Vítor involves solar-powered agricultural product processing to add value to the fruit and vegetable production of the Vítor and Chaca valleys. You can watch the explanatory video here.

In La Estrella, the project consisted of reactivating agricultural activity through solar energy and efficient water use. You can watch the explanatory video here.

In Visviri, a camelid fiber collection and processing center was developed, which aims to provide a sustainable development opportunity through value addition to local livestock activities. You can watch the explanatory video here.

Objective met

The objective of Ayllu Solar has been achieved. This was highlighted during the closing seminar by the regional director, Lorena Cornejo, as she recalled the initial goal: to create advanced human capital to drive the sustainable development of urban and rural communities throughout the region through the use of solar energy, emphasizing the work within the social grassroots to jointly transform Arica and Parinacota into the solar capital.

The figures are telling: more than 346 direct beneficiaries; more than 150 workshops and training sessions with 2,000 participants; more than 120 public goods for free use downloadable from the website; a Solar Schools Network made up of 40 schools, 179 teachers trained in PBL (Project-Based Learning) methodology, and more than 1,350 students as protagonists of the process; a diploma in solar energy, and a radiation monitoring network in the region, among many others.

The high levels of solar radiation throughout Arica and Parinacota were decisive in the creation of the Ayllu Solar project, a SERC Chile initiative, through the executing institutions (University of Tarapacá, University of Antofagasta, and University of Chile) and its strategic partners (the BHP Foundation and Fundación Chile).

Alejandra Garcés, director of the BHP Foundation Chile Program, highlighted the collaborative spirit, co-creation with communities, and the projection through associative networks, so that these projects are replicable and scalable, as envisioned at the start of Ayllu Solar in 2015.

Closing seminar

In the seminar, which was held online due to health restrictions, the representatives of each Ayllu Solar beneficiary community participated, as well as the rectors of the University of Tarapacá, Emilio Rodríguez, and of the University of Chile, Ennio Vivaldi. Additionally, municipal authorities from General Lagos, Putre, and Arica, and the Regional Ministerial Secretary (Seremi) of Government, Víctor Hugo Sepúlveda, joined.

The continuity of this initiative is in the hands of the Ayllu Solar Associative Network (RAAS), in which relevant regional actors participate, leveraging their experience to enhance solar energy development in the fields of Education, Research, and Business. The network is composed of the University of Tarapacá, the Center for Technical Training (CFT), WAKILabs, Pablo Neruda High School, and SERC Chile.

You can watch the explanatory video of the Ayllu Solar project here.