Solar Panel Walls, Nueva Cordova Building
This project is added to the Enel X’s B2B/B2G business. It consists of a generation system distributed through solar panels installed on the walls and roof of the Nueva Cordova Building, built by the company Echeverria Izquierdo for the company Sencorp, on Alonso de Córdova street in Santiago.
The project includes the design, supply of equipment, installation and commissioning of an on-grid Solar Panel generation system, with an installed capacity of 186.30 kWp. The goal is to generate around 11% solar energy in relation to the projected consumption reported by the client.
This will make the building the first in Chile to build its outer walls using an innovative technology of solar panel modules, allowing for the production of electricity for self-supply, and lowering operating costs, as well as providing green energy to charge electric cars and bicycles, in order to contribute to the fight against Climate Change and de-contamination of the city.
Atmospheric Water Collection
The solar panel generation parks held by Enel in the north of Chile require the frequent cleaning of their solar panels to prevent natural dust and dirt deposits from reducing the efficiency of electric generation in long term. These maintenance works imply a periodic supply of water, which is an extremely scarce and prized resource in the Atacama Desert.
Some valleys and coastal sectors where Enel has installed solar parks undergo a natural phenomenon known as the camanchaca, which has been studied as an alternative source for the natural supply of water to the generation facilities and evaporates into the atmosphere as the day goes on, if not collected artificially.
The collection of water found in the camanchaca will allow Enel to take better advantage of the benefits of the natural environment where its facilities are located, improving the efficiency of generation, mainly through the self-cleaning of solar panels, directly intercepting the camanchaca above them, and reducing the need to purchase water. Moreover, by decreasing the purchase of water in the desert, we are able to reduce the need to extract water from rivers and underground reserves, leaving them to be used by other local production sectors, thus directly benefiting the neighboring communities.
Public Transportation with Electric Buses
In 2018, thanks to the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications (MTT) and an alliance between Enel X, Metbus and BYD, the first 100 electric buses were incorporated in the Santiago public transportation network. These vehicles have innovative technology for passenger comfort, offering WIFI service, cell phone chargers and air conditioning. They have no impact in terms of contaminating emissions and constitute cheaper alternative in terms of operation, which costs 60% less in comparison to conventional diesel buses.
The electric buses are concentrated at two electric charging terminals located in Peñalolén and Maipú, which have 63 and 37 charging stations, respectively, as well as solar-powered parking to supply part of the buses’ and terminals’ consumption with renewable energy. The technology of these electric charging terminals includes smart charge management controls, the only one of its kind in the world, which can manage the buses’ energy supply in real time, optimizing their energy consumption.
In 2019, 183 additional buses were added, in order to further decontaminate public transportation and contribute to a better quality of life for users, who have noted their relatively low noise level both inside and around the bus. Thanks to this initiative, Enel X positions itself as an important leader in Latin America by promoting sustainable mobility and contributing to the decontamination of cities and the fight against climate change.
MIMA
In 2016, an environmental footprint measurement pilot program was carried out in renewable energy plants, in order to better understand their impact on the environment. A measurement platform (MIMA) was implemented based on the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) according to ISO 14.040, which helped automate the data collection, calculation and results analysis process. In the following years, the platform was replicated in other renewable generation plants, and by the end of 2020, 20 will have been implemented.
This initiative revealed the magnitude of the impact of renewable generation, particularly in its construction phase, where the greatest amount of emissions are produced. Moreover, the methodology applied helps break down the impacts based on the different processes carried out (transport, assembly, generation equipment, maintenance activities, use of machinery, waste, etc.) and identify the origin of emissions. This will enable a prioritization in terms of environmental management for a more effective mitigation of impacts and, when this is not feasible, offset the emissions generated in order to have truly emissions-free energy.
As of 2020, the platform will also incorporate a measurement of circularity of our plants, automating the application of the CirculAbility methodology, in order to calculate circularity indicators while maintaining a life cycle approach. By the end of this year, we will know just how circular our plants are in order to focus our environmental management towards improving circularity.
Enel Latam Circular Economy School
The Latam Circular Economy School is an eight-week program specially designed for Enel Group employees in Latin America. More than 90 participants, from 5 business lines, hailing from 5 countries: Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Peru. The students learned strategies and new business models to promote circularity, and about life cycle analysis, supplier circularity, metrics, how to create value for customers in a circular way, governance and ecosystems, and cities and territories. In the different conferences dedicated to each topic, they learned about experiences and real cases of startups and international companies that have incorporated circular business models, as well as the experience of different government agencies on the matter.
Likewise, through practical Design Thinking workshops they designed circular innovations, learning and applying the new economic model, where they worked in 10 teams being challenged by the circular economy.
The Circular Economy is one of the most innovative economic concepts challenging us to rethink core elements of the whole economic model,, from a holistic perspective, in which, the objectives are economic competitiveness, environmental sustainability and social inclusivity .
The Circular Economy School represents for Enel Chile an important step towards the development of knowledge and the dissemination of solutions to all business lines, to enhance circularity in all aspects of its activities, also contributing to a change of mind-set in professionals and particularly amongst people who are aware and active in the struggle against the climate crisis.
This program contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, mainly: SDG 4 Quality education, because is a training program, SDG 12 Responsible Production and Consumption, by extensively addressing these issues. It also contributes to SDG 9, with an approach in topics of Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, SDG 11 through the theme of sustainable cities and communities, and SDG 17 since different actors are articulated for the organization, from different countries, lines of business, companies and the public sector.