Cafayate

Solar power plant in Salta, Argentina. Approximate location -26.04, -65.93.

SolarSaltaArgentina

Cafayate is a 80 MW solar power plant in Salta, Argentina. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 34,038 homes (estimated). It ranks #62 of 236 Argentina power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 3.4% of Argentina's electricity; the national grid averages 346 gCO₂/kWh (41.6% low-carbon) (2025).

80MW installed capacity
34,038homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WKS0071212.

Capacity vs largest solar plants in Argentina

Cauchari: 300 MW300CauchariCafayate: 80 MW80CafayateIglesia-Guañizuil: 80 MW80Iglesia-Gu…Caldenes del Oeste: 30 MW30Caldenes d…Saujil: 22 MW22SaujilCHIMBERA 1: 2 MW2CHIMBERA 1PLANTA PILOTO FOTOVOLTAICA SAN JUAN 1: 1 MW1PLANTA PIL…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 26.0°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

17.0°Cannual mean temp
828heating degree-days (base 18°C)
459cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,663 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 22 °CJF: 21 °CFM: 19 °CMA: 16 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 10 °CJJ: 11 °CJA: 13 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 18 °CON: 21 °CND: 22 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 66% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 24/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 0.0% at warm-season highs here (estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #2 largest solar power plant of 7 in Argentina by capacity.

Argentina has 7 solar power plants in this dataset, together about 516 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -26.04, -65.93 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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