ExpoERNC 2018 was sponsored by relevant entities representing the energy sector and the field of sustainability, also the Ministry of Energy.

In recent years, renewable energies have presented very significant growth rates and nowadays these types of sources are not only an important part of the Chilean energy matrix, but also present themselves as the opportunity to take advantage of the benefits of Chile and differentiate themselves from other countries.

Sebastian Sichel, Executive Vice President of Corfo, emphasized in his speech that "in Chile we have a gigantic opportunity to develop energy and build an industry that adds value to production."

Fraunhofer Chile Research with its Center for Solar Energy Technologies (FCR-CSET) organized the seminar "Challenges and Solutions for Photovoltaic Systems" in collaboration with the Catholic University with the support of CORFO (Corporation for the Promotion of Production). In the seminar were discussed topics such as:

"The advanced evaluation for the photovoltaic industry" presented by Elias Urrejola, expert in solar energy, Engie Laborelec Chile, which indicated three phases: 1. Data analysis 2. On-site inspection and 3. Monitoring. These phases have already been implemented together between Engie Laborelec and the Fraunhofer Institute, delivering satisfactory results.

Our expert in photovoltaics systems Paulo Ayala, indicated that Chile has a great potential for the development of solar energy. The Atacama Modules and Systems Technology Consortium project (AtaMoS TeC) is an important project, in which participate various companies, including Fraunhofer Chile Research. This project is a technological consortium that brings together the industry, academic world, national and international research centers. In a high impact collaborative work that seeks the development of photovoltaic solar energy technologies, niche for desert areas with high radiation.

Among the main challenges to solve, according to Miguel Covarrubias Sieber, Manager of Business Development, of jinkiSOLAR, is the increase in photovoltaic productivity through the most efficient use of resources. This also includes that the increase of energy produced depends on the reflectivity of the ground (Albedo), the inclination of the panel and the height of the PV array. Among the trends for the future of photovoltaic energy are the half cell modules that have a reduction in losses due to temperature and shade.

The expert in photovoltaics at CSET, Robin Grab, reported the challenges of alternating current in photovoltaic power plants and the respective technological advances developed by Fraunhofer ISE in Germany.

Thanks to the excellent participation of our experts, the seminar concluded with great success.