Socioeconomic, environmental and social impacts of a concentrated solar power energy project in Northern Chile

Abstract

Concentrated solar power deployment could potentially play an important role in the sustainable development strategy of Chile, the country with the highest solar potential in the world. Using an Input-Output methodology, this work conducts a sustainability assessment of the installation, operation and maintenance of an 110 MW concentrated solar power tower plant in Chile in terms of economic activity, job creation, energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Additionally, using the Social Hotspot Database, a preliminary social risk analysis in those economic sectors with the highest employment creation is conducted. Assuming domestic provision of all goods and services, results show that the associated total socioeconomic impacts during the whole lifetime of the plant would amount to 3,124 million US$, a multiplier effect of 2.2 and a ratio of indirect per direct job creation of 1.21. Additionally, results also show that direct and indirect economic activities required by the project would generate 64.36 g CO2 per kWh. Finally, the social assessment indicates the existence of a high unemployment risk in those sectors that would result most stimulated.