Power generation of polycrystalline photovoltaic panels in Argentina

However, despite significant natural potential, solar photovoltaic still represents only a small share of Argentina's total electricity generation. Although this picture may look bleak, a wide range of market segments relating to decentralised photovoltaic generation in Argentina have developed.

The annual average Argentina solar potential for photovoltaic (PV) energy generation is approximately 1.6 MWh/kWp. 2 As of December 2023, the average residential electricity cost is approximately $0.019 per kWh. For businesses, the average cost is about $0.024 per kWh.

Argentina has sharply accelerated the rate of bringing its solar power plants into operation. According to the national electricity operator CAMMESA, the capacity of photovoltaic panels put on stream nationwide went from 33 megawatts (MW) in 2022 to 262 MW in 2023.

The first contribution of photovoltaic electricity to Argentina´s grid system occurred in 2011, with a participation of 0.0014% to the total electricity demand, which is a modest contribution to the 1% incidence of renewable energy (RE) at the time, which included small, i.e., ≤50 MW, hydroelectric plants .

Conclusions Our work found a large gap between Argentina's potential for solar energy utilization and the current solar energy deployment, despite advantages such as a high solar and land resources.

In comparison to the global situation, the possibility to feed excess energy generated from PV systems into the grid in Argentina was only approved at national level relatively recently. Consequently, participants in this study rated interactions with distribution network operators as important.