Utilities

<p>A very good example of why a headlong rush into solar PV or wind generation without taking into consideration the distribution infrastructure or building in storage isn't such a flash idea.&nbsp; It can hurt otherwise if you get it wrong.</p><p>Chile&rsquo;s solar industry has expanded so quickly that it&rsquo;s giving electricity away for free.</p><p>Spot prices reached zero in parts of the country on 113 days through April, a number that&rsquo;s on track to beat last year&rsquo;s total of 192 days, according to Chile&rsquo;s central grid operator. While that may be good for consumers, it&rsquo;s bad news for companies that own power plants struggling to generate revenue and developers seeking financing for new facilities.</p><p>Solar capacity on Chile&rsquo;s central power grid, known as SIC, has more than quadrupled to 770 megawatts for since long. Much of that comes from the grid&rsquo;s northern sections, the Atacama region that&rsquo;s home to the copper industry. Total installed capacity increased 5 percent in the past year, with half coming from solar farms, according to the grid operator, Classic. SIC supplies power to the regions where 90 percent of the country&rsquo;s residential demand is located.</p><p>The country is expected to install almost 1.4 gigawatts of solar power this year, up from 371 megawatts, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.</p>