Line 3 | Solar Solutions for Productive Systems and Sustainable Communities
SERC Chile proposes to address the interdisciplinary study of solar energy.
Develop, adapt, and integrate solar solutions oriented toward productive sectors and communities, with a focus on applications for mining, agriculture, industry, transportation, and territories with specific energy needs. The research line seeks to accelerate the adoption of hybrid and decentralized solar technologies that enable emission reductions, improved energy efficiency, and strengthened resilience for productive and community systems.
Among its objectives, the research line will address the design and evaluation of systems combining photovoltaic generation, solar thermal energy, energy storage, power electronics, smart demand management, and distributed operation models. These solutions will be analyzed considering local conditions, sectoral requirements, costs, environmental impacts, and social benefits, promoting technically viable, sustainable, and scalable solar applications.
Furthermore, this research line will contribute to the development of pilots, evaluation methodologies, and decision-support tools to facilitate the integration of solar energy into productive processes and communities. In doing so, it seeks to contribute to the decarbonization of strategic sectors, the strengthening of energy security, and the generation of replicable solar models across the country's various territories.
Principal Investigator
Edward Fuentealba
Dr. Edward Fuentealba Vidal is a Principal Investigator at SERC Chile and a Full Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Antofagasta. He serves as the principal investigator for Line 3, where he contributes to the development, adaptation, and integration of solar technologies geared toward mining, agriculture, industry, transportation, and communities with specific energy needs.
He is the founder of the Antofagasta Energy Development Center, where he has promoted applied research in photovoltaic energy, energy storage, solar hydrogen, and territorial characterization of solar resources. His career has been instrumental in developing scientific and technological capabilities in solar energy in northern Chile, particularly in high-radiation desert conditions. He has contributed to the creation and consolidation of postgraduate programs, including the Master's and Doctorate in Solar Energy at the University of Antofagasta. Furthermore, he has participated in strengthening national scientific infrastructure, such as the Atacama Desert Solar Platform, and has been part of SERC Chile since its inception (2012).
Alongside her academic and scientific work, she has contributed to the design of public policies and regional development strategies associated with energy, mining, and green hydrogen in the Antofagasta Region. Her participation in advisory bodies, boards, and strategic initiatives such as Alta Ley, CEIM, ATAMOSTEC, the Clean Technologies Institute, and the 2050 Energy Policy has strengthened technological innovation and sustainable development in the territory, consolidating it as a national benchmark in solar energy applied to production systems and sustainable communities.
