Renewable energy for telescopes and local communities

I knew there were telescopes in remote in remote locations but it hadn’t occurred to me how these telescopes were powered. It turns out, that many of them are powered by generators that run on fossil fuels, diesel and natural gas. But the location of many telescopes makes them prime candidates for solar power. This creates an opportunity not just for the facility but also for nearby communities.

Valenzuela-Venegas and colleagues (2024) considered how a renewable energy system could power a future telescope in the Atacama Desert. In addition, with no extra resources, the system could cover 66% of the local community’s energy needs.

What I particularly noticed in the research is that the researchers identified the importance of involving local stakeholders in the design and set up of the system. It wasn’t about the researchers coming in and offering to share. It was focused on involving stakeholders from all areas of the system in the decision making process, integrating benefit sharing, and contributing to the region’s emission reduction efforts. In addition, it could help improve energy security as costs and availability of fossil fuels become increasingly unstable.

From a sustainability perspective, integrating the different stakeholders at the decision making process is vital to ensuring community support for the project as well as long term benefits.