Opinion column by: José Miguel Cardemil, Principal Researcher at SERC Chile

Chile has set an ambitious goal: to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Achieving this will not be an easy task. It will require a profound transformation of all the country’s productive sectors, especially industry, which currently accounts for a significant portion of our emissions. In this context, solar energy is not just part of the solution—it is a strategic opportunity that we cannot afford to miss.

Over the past decade, we have witnessed an impressive boom in renewable energy, particularly solar photovoltaics. Our country, blessed with one of the highest levels of solar radiation in the world, has installed nearly 11 GW of solar capacity. However, much of that energy is lost due to transmission bottlenecks or a lack of system flexibility. Paradoxically, while we are generating clean energy, many industries continue to use fossil fuels to generate heat.

And that is precisely where solar energy can make a difference.

In Chile, a large portion of industrial energy consumption is related to heat: drying, heating fluids, cooking, and smelting. These thermal-energy-intensive processes currently rely on diesel, natural gas, or coal. But solar thermal technologies—such as flat-plate solar collectors, evacuated tubes, or solar concentration systems—make it possible to generate that heat in a clean, efficient, and cost-effective way. And we’re not talking about the future: these solutions are available, proven, and ready to be scaled up.

Furthermore, the transition to a low-carbon industry is not limited to technological change. It is an opportunity to add value, diversify our exports, open new markets, and create quality jobs. In key sectors such as mining, food, and construction, incorporating renewable energy into production processes can mean the difference between remaining competitive and being left out of markets that demand traceability and increasingly stringent environmental standards.

But this transformation will not happen on its own. We need political will, public and private funding, and genuine collaboration between academia, the government, and industry. At our center, we work every day to develop applied solutions, train professionals, and validate technologies under real-world conditions. But we also see how many of these solutions remain on paper due to a lack of will or coordination.

The challenge is technical, yes, but above all it is political and cultural. We need to change the way we think about industrial development. Committing to a cleaner energy mix is not just an environmental necessity—it is a catalyst for the country’s modernization and economic resilience.

Solar energy is there—available, abundant, and clean. It can—and must—be the backbone of industrial decarbonization in Chile. We no longer have any excuses. All we need is determination and action.

And here at SERC Chile, the solar energy research center, we are ready to contribute.