Solar battery storage deployment is booming in Chile, supported by supportive government policy that has been markedly stable for 15 years. Indeed, the nation leads Latin America in this sector today, along with Brazil. Chile is now becomming a world leader in hybrid PV systems and standalone battery storage since implementing its Renewable Energy Storage and Electromobility Act in 2022
To put this in context, nonconventional renewable energy (NCRE), as it's called in Chile, accounts for up to 17.3 GW of installed capacity in the Andean country, representing 48% of the total system and 40% of Chile's electricity generation. Solar battery storage alone accounts for 10.9 GW of operational installed capacity, with an additional 3.2 GW under construction, according to the National Energy Commission's June 2025 report on the NCRE sector.
In less than three years, Chile has come close to hitting this target, with 1 GW of solar battery storage in operation, 571 MW in the testing phase for grid interconnection, and 3.9 GW under construction.
These figures have led Chilean Energy Minister Diego Pardow to state that "in January 2026, we will meet the goal of 2 GW of storage" in operation. When the total project portfolio is considered, the goal of having 6 GW of operational storage systems by 2050 is already 81% met, with 5.47 GW expected to be completed by the end of 2026, leaving only 527 MW to go.
"Of this project portfolio, 26% corresponds to standalone storage projects, and 74% corresponds to hybrid plants that combine storage with renewable generation, mainly solar photovoltaic," Gallardo told pv magazine. "Additionally, there are 23 GW in various stages of evaluation, which shows the industry's strong interest in developing this type of project."
Undoubtedly, the most notable is the Oasis de Atacama project, developed by Spanish company Grenergy. Located in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, this megaproject will have a total capacity of 2 GW of photovoltaic generation and 11 GWh of lithium-ion battery storage, distributed across seven phases. It is expected to annually produce around 5.5 TWh of energy, with a total investment exceeding $2.3 billion. All phases are expected to be operational between 2025 and 2026.
The BESS del Desierto plant is another emblematic project, also located in Atacama and developed by Atlas Renewable Energy. This project, with a capacity of 200 MW/800 MWh, was the first large-scale standalone energy storage plant in Latin America. Additionally, under power purchase agreements, part of the energy stored in BESS del Desierto will be used to power the operation of approximately 2,500 electric buses, directly contributing to the decarbonization of public transport in cities like Santiago.
