First Solar Power Plant in Chile is World’s First to Deliver Grid ServicesChile’s ISO licenses Luz del Norte power plant to supply ancillary services

First Solar, Inc. today announced that its 141-megawatt (MW)AC Luz del Norte photovoltaic (PV) power plant is the world’s first known utility-scale solar facility licensed to deliver ancillary grid services commercially. Chile’s independent system operator (ISO), Coordinador Eléctrico Nacional, recently added Luz del Norte to its portfolio of large-scale power generators that are approved to deliver a range of grid services, including automatic generation control (AGC). The facility, located in Copiapó, Chile, is now being used by the ISO to manage the frequency of the country’s electricity system, helping ensure the grid’s reliability and stability, in addition to generating clean, renewable energy. This follows an extensive audit, jointly conducted by Coordinador Eléctrico Nacional, Laborelec Latam, and First Solar, to evaluate the plant’s capabilities. Until now, grid operators around the world had to rely exclusively on thermoelectric or hydroelectric power plants to respond to changes in load by balancing generation.