Jamey
Stillings

ATACAMA: Renewable Energy and Mining in the High Desert of Chile

ATACAMA examines the evolving nexus between renewable energy and mining in Chile's Atacama Desert. It is the newest chapter of my long-term project, Changing Perspectives: Renewable Energy and the Shifting Human Landscape, which I embarked on between 2017 and 2022. This project is born out of my deep-seated interest in the environment and a fascination with the intersections of nature and humankind.

Why should we care about Chile and the Atacama Desert? Chile is the world's leading copper exporter and the second-largest lithium producer. We use Chilean copper and lithium daily in our cars, computers, and smartphones. The Chilean mining industry historically depended on imported coal, diesel, and natural gas for energy. Yet, the geography of the Atacama Desert offers excellent solar and wind potential. Since 2017, when I first photographed over the Atacama, the country has tripled its renewable energy capacity. New solar, wind, and storage projects supply electricity to the grid, transmit power to population centers in the South, provide electricity and solar thermal energy to mines, and reduce mining's dependence on fossil fuels. In the last five years, many mines have transitioned to 100% renewable energy for their electricity. With the cost of solar and wind electricity production below that of coal, renewable energy provides a viable economic opportunity for mines with the added benefit of reducing the industry's carbon footprint. Chile's approach to renewable energy is a model for other countries.

Since 2010, aerial photography has been my primary tool for synthesizing an aesthetic fascination with the intersections of nature and humankind with my lifelong interest in crucial environmental issues. Changing Perspectives is the culmination of this approach, which focuses on climate change solutions and our efforts to move away from a global dependence on fossil fuels. Interweaving my environmental concerns with aesthetic explorations adds energy and vitality to my ongoing work.

Steidl published ATACAMA: Renewable Energy and Mining in the High Desert of Chile in 2023.