Abstract

This paper seeks to question some intersections between history and engineering, through the history of solar energy in Chile. In this analysis we give importance to the humanity in every innovation as well as acknowledging the importance of practices’ temporalities. The historical research of solar energy’s practices was done in collaboration between engineers in the field and historians. By addressing the contemporary history of solar engineering in Chile, we aim to discuss the connection between different scales, as well as the intersections of transitions and coexistence between different technologies. This will lead us to reflect on the philosophical possibilities of interdisciplinary work, and on the relationship between narratives of the past and imagination of the future. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.