Argentina’s energy transition is advancing through large-scale projects that position the country as a relevant player in renewable energy at the regional level. Parque Solar El Quemado is one of the most compelling examples of that process.
At Chousa, we were part of that project. Our role was to ensure that the fasteners supporting the entire structure of the park had the right anticorrosion treatment to last what the project demands: 25 years of continuous operation.
The Project: Argentina’s Largest Solar Park
Parque Solar El Quemado, led by YPF Luz, is Argentina’s largest solar park. Located in Las Heras, Mendoza, it has an installed capacity of 305 MW, more than 500,000 bifacial solar panels, and spans over 600 hectares. It supplies energy to more than 233,000 Argentine households.
A project of that scale not only represents an enormous investment. It represents a long-term commitment to operational reliability. Every component that forms part of that infrastructure must be up to that commitment.
The Environmental Conditions of the Park
The park operates in the arid Mendoza region, an environment with very demanding conditions for metal components:
- Extreme heat and intense UV radiation for much of the year
- Dust and abrasive particles in constant suspension
- Significant thermal variations between day and night
- Variable humidity that accelerates corrosion processes in metal joints
In that context, the fasteners that connect and support the solar panel structures are permanently exposed. A failure in those components is not a minor problem — it can compromise the stability of the structure and force costly maintenance interventions in an installation designed to operate with minimal maintenance for decades.
Choosing the right anticorrosion treatment for the fasteners was a critical decision for the project.
Why Laurentcoat®
Chousa applied Laurentcoat®, its zinc flake technology, to the park’s fasteners — bolts, nuts, and washers that connect and support the metallic structures of the panels. The choice was not arbitrary — Laurentcoat® offers concrete advantages for this type of application.
- High corrosion resistance under extreme conditions Laurentcoat® achieves up to 1,000 hours of resistance in salt spray tests (ASTM B117). In a park designed to operate for 25 years in an arid and demanding environment, that resistance is the foundation of the system’s reliability.
- Controlled thickness and dimensional precision With thicknesses between 5 and 12 microns, Laurentcoat® does not alter the dimensional tolerances of the fasteners. Threaded components assemble correctly without the need for subsequent reworking. In an installation of 500,000 panels, that efficiency in assembly has a direct impact on installation times and costs.
- Parts ready to use directly on site Flat components such as washers come out of the process separated and ready to use. No rework, no manual separation, no delays in the field. In a project of that scale, every minute of efficiency in installation counts.
- Uniform coverage across the entire geometry of the part The dip-spin application process ensures consistent protection across all areas of the fastener, including threads, cavities, and complex geometries. This eliminates weak points where corrosion can initiate prematurely.
- Regulatory compliance Laurentcoat® complies with ASTM F1136 and ISO 10683 standards, international references for zinc flake coatings in structural fastener applications.
The Result: Long-Term Reliability
Thanks to the application of Laurentcoat®, the fasteners at Parque Solar El Quemado have reliable anticorrosion protection, validated for the project’s environmental conditions and designed to accompany the installation’s service life.
Chousa in the Renewable Energy Industry
Participation in Parque Solar El Quemado is not an isolated case. Chousa has direct experience in large-scale renewable energy projects across Argentina, including Parque Solar Cauchari in Jujuy.
In these projects, the reliability of fasteners is not a secondary detail. It is one of the factors that determines whether the installation operates as planned throughout its entire service life.
Are you developing a solar energy project and want to evaluate the right anticorrosion treatment for your fasteners? You can contact us at info@chousa.com.ar and connect with our technical team.
