Wind and solar overtake coal in Chile

Between October 2021 and September 2022, wind and solar power overtook coal as the primary source of electricity in Chile, generating 27.5% of the total compared to coal's 26.5%. Since 2016, Chile has successfully met rising electricity demand through renewable growth, leading to a 6% drop in power sector emissions between 2016 and 2021. While the government targets a coal phase-out by 2040 and a zero-emissions grid by 2050, the report suggests these targets should be accelerated to 2030 and 2035 respectively to align with IEA recommendations.

• For the first time, wind and solar power generated more of Chile's electricity than coal over a 12-month period. Between October 2021 and September 2022, wind and solar accounted for 27.5% of electricity generation, while coal dropped to 26.5%. This marks the first time since 2007 that fossil fuels have generated less than half of the country's electricity.
• Chile experienced a rapid increase in wind and solar generation between 2018 and 2021, with annual generation doubling from 9 TWh (12%) to 18 TWh (22%). In 2016, wind and solar generation was only 6.6%, while coal provided 43.6% of electricity.
• Since 2016, Chile has decoupled electricity demand growth from emissions. While demand rose by 11% between 2016 and 2021, annual power sector emissions dropped by 6% because the increase in demand was met entirely by wind and solar. In contrast, between 2000 and 2016, demand growth was met by coal, leading to a 165% increase in related annual emissions.
• The Chilean government has a plan to phase out coal generation by 2040, and the country targets 80% renewable electricity by 2030 and a 100% zero emissions power grid by 2050. The report notes that Enel has already closed all its coal-powered plants in Chile. However, the report suggests that as an OECD country, Chile should target a coal phase-out by 2030 and a zero-emissions grid by 2035, per the IEA's Net Zero by 2050 Roadmap.

APA

Bruce-Lockhart, C., & Fulghum, N. (2022). Wind and solar overtake coal in Chile. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/Ember-Report-English-Wind-and-solar-overtake-coal-in-Chile.pdf

Chicago

Bruce-Lockhart, Chelsea, and Nicolas Fulghum. Wind and solar overtake coal in Chile. Ember, 2022. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/Ember-Report-English-Wind-and-solar-overtake-coal-in-Chile.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bruce-Lockhart |first1=Chelsea |last2=Fulghum |first2=Nicolas |title=Wind and solar overtake coal in Chile |publisher=Ember |date=25 October 2022 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/Ember-Report-English-Wind-and-solar-overtake-coal-in-Chile.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{brucelockhart2022wind, author = {Bruce-Lockhart, Chelsea and Fulghum, Nicolas}, title = {{Wind and solar overtake coal in Chile}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2022}, month = oct, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/Ember-Report-English-Wind-and-solar-overtake-coal-in-Chile.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }