Chile. Last month saw the inauguration of "Nuevo Calor", a photovoltaic energy project that helps in the implementation of clean heating and supports several air conditioning systems in the community of Las Cabras.
This initiative that is promoted and co-financed by the Ministry of Energy, the Energy Sustainability Agency (ASE) and the Municipality of Las Cabras, was given within the framework of the execution of the budget of the fifth Energy Investment Contest of Comuna Energética, which was won by the Nikola company in conjunction with the Municipality of Las Cabras.
It is important to explain that Comuna Energética is a "national program that seeks to contribute to improving energy management and the participation of municipalities and local actors to promote the generation and implementation of replicable and innovative sustainable energy initiatives in the communes of Chile."
Claudio Martínez Molina, Energy Seremi; Juan Pablo Flores, mayor of the town; Rodrigo Barrera, in charge of the Energy Commune Program of the ASE; and Nicolás Espinoza, Chief Project Engineer at the Nikola company, executor of the work, were in charge of inaugurating the "Nuevo Calor" Project, which consists of the implementation of clean heating projects, which integrate the installation of multisplit air conditioning systems supported by photovoltaic solar energy.
In the framework of this inauguration, Claudio Martínez Molina, said: "We are very pleased to inaugurate this project in the commune of Las Cabras, which is one of the 4 communes of the O'Higgins region that have adhered to the Comuna Eenergética program, developed its local energy strategy, allowing them to access a series of funds and initiatives that incorporate renewable energies, for infrastructure and application of energy-efficient technology, with a positive impact on the environment".
In the same way, he assured that in this work the commitment of Mayor Flores and his environmental directorate is evident, since Las Cabras is one of the communes that lead the energy transition.
Project Scope
It is important to note that, originally, the project covered 18 private beneficiaries, whose homes would install multi-split air conditioning equipment and a photovoltaic plant.
Subsequently, it was decided to incorporate the public sector as a beneficiary, so the project finally also included the installation of a 54 kWp plant at the Margot Loyola Cultural Center, intended to cover the consumption of five municipal buildings, where 192,000 BTU were installed divided into 8 multisplit equipment of 24,000 BTU each.
The buildings mentioned are the DIDECO, the Human Resources Office of the Municipality, the CESFAM of Las Cabras, the Student Home and the Tourist Office.
At least 40 kWp was also installed in photovoltaic plants and 132,000 BTU in multisplit equipment distributed among commercial and residential beneficiaries; in the Ferretería Esmeralda, the Restaurant El Sanny, the Ferreterías Oviedo and the Restaurant La Palanca.
Finally, Nicolás Espinoza, Project Engineer at Nikola, referred to the participation in this project: "Together with the municipality of Las Cabras we were awarded this project that allowed the development of the first photovoltaic plant in a building in the commune. Along with this beautiful project, energy efficiency measures were also applied, installing seven air conditioning systems in five municipal offices, improving the quality of life of the inhabitants of the commune who come to DIDECO and CESFAM.
