Solar Energy in Argentina

Abstract

There is a large gap between the vast solar resources and the magnitude of solar energy deployment in Argentina. In the case of photovoltaics, the country only reached the 1000 GWh electricity generated yearly landmark in 2020. Solar thermal technology is even less developed, in part due to the low natural gas prices resulting from political strategies that aim to soften the impact of an unstable economy on family budgets. This review describes this gap by summarizing the current state of Argentine solar energy. We summarize the fundamental legal and strategic tools which are available for solar energy deployment, survey the penetration of solar energy into the country’s energy landscape, identify national contributions to the local value chain, and review past and present research and development achievements. Both photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies show a historical fluctuation between local technology development and imported technology and know-how. Finally, a discussion on the main ingredients required to abridge Argentina’s solar gap indicates that stronger, consistent long-term strategies are required in Argentina in order to take advantage of the present window of opportunity, and to play a considerable role in the global energy transition.