Genesal Energy supplies emergency power to Cerro Dominador, the greatest solar complex in Latin America, located in the desert of Atacama

The Galician company designed five special generators to operate in extreme conditions in one of the areas with most solar radiation on the planet

At the top of the Chilean desert of Atacama is Cerro Dominador. Comprised of a great thermosolar power plant as well as a photovoltaic plant, it is the largest solar complex in Latin America, and Genesal Energy participated in its construction through the manufacture and supply of five emergency generator sets designed to withstand the area’s high temperatures.

The units have been manufactured to operate at the top of the desert, in very extreme conditions, both in temperature and height, ensuring a correct level of ventilation at all times while maintaining a comfortable sound level in the thermosolar power plant. That way, the five special gensets guarantee power supply in all of the plant’s installations, from the lighting to the startup of the turbines or the administrative buildings.

Low permeability against sand

Cerro Dominador is located in María Elena, in the region of Antofagasta, one of the areas with the highest solar radiation index in the world. The complex will produce clean energy and, according to previsions, will prevent the emission of 640.000 tons of CO2 a year into the atmosphere, as well as create over 1.000 jobs.

To take power to this inmense complex, Genesal Energy adapted to the areas conditions, as the client needed customized generator sets, of the highest precision, with a low permeability facing sand and other impurities carried by the desert’s wind.

Features

• Air inlet and outlet silencers.
• Fans for cooling of the engine-alternator rooms.
• Air conditioning system in the control room.
• 2000-3000l double-walled fuel tank, approved under Chilean norms, with fuel transfer system for external fuel supply.
• Made-to-measure control system logic to power the low and medium voltage systems and integration with the plant’s control system.
• Motorised louvers to prevent the entry of impurities when genset is off.
• 1mm aperture mesh to prevent entry of sand and other fine impurities when genset is on.
• Motorized breaker installed independently to isolate it from vibration.
• Seismic reinforcements of high reliability in all equipment to support seismic events, which are very frequent in the area.