La Moneda: Chile’s presidential palace goes solar

SANTIAGO – Solcor, a start-up founded by two young Belgians from Western Flanders, has installed solar panels on Chile’s presidential palace, its chief executive officer and co-founder, Steven van Cauwenberge, announced on Wednesday.

Solcor, also co-founded by Alexander Decock, won the Start-up Chile prize, a competition for young entrepreneurs, in 2014.

Solcor, which works mainly with companies in the farming sector and with the State, will now supply 18% of the energy consumed by the president and his services within the presidential palace.

With its year-round sun, Chile is the perfect place to install solar panels. Because of the risk of earthquakes, nuclear reactors cannot be built there.

Chile’s authorities aim to have the country produce 90% of its energy from the sun and the wind by 2050.