RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The March statistics from ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency) indicated that Solar Energy generation in Brazil surpassed that of the Itaipu hydroelectric power plant, the second largest in the world, for the first time since 2012, and now new figures from the Renewables 2022 Global Status Report say that Brazil was the 5th largest producer of solar energy in 2021.
According to this report, the reason for the higher production is the water crisis, which has affected the country’s power generation capacity and consequently made electricity bills more expensive throughout the country.
In this way, many families saw solar energy as a way to save money. 77.4% of the contracts were for residential use.
This trend is expected to continue; finally, on June 21, ANEEL approved the readjustment of electric energy tariffs, increasing the prices of red level 1 by 63.7%, yellow by 59.5%, and red level 2 by 3.2%.
New additions amounted to 5.5 GW and were driven by a distributed generation with 4 GW and photovoltaic systems installed where energy is consumed, such as in homes, industries, and businesses. In this way, solar panels are expected to remain among the most sought-after items in Brazilian homes.
In Latin America, Brazil also stands out from other countries in generating electrical energy from solar panels. Check out the ranking of the four countries with the highest production in the region:
Brazil (5.5 GW)
Mexico (1.8 GW)
Chile (1.3 GW)
Argentina (0.2 GW)
Speaking of renewables: Brazil is also attracting attention in wind power generation, which ranks third behind China and the US. 84% of the world’s new power plants in 2021 were dedicated to renewables, showing an effort to ensure energy security. Together, they produced 315 GW worldwide.
Countries with the highest renewable power generation include:
China: 1 TW
USA: 398 GW
Brazil: 160 GW
India: 158 GW
Germany: 139 GW
China leads with 37% of the global investment, while Europe invests a share of 22%, Asia (excluding China and India) 16%, and the US only 13%.
Finally, it is essential to emphasize that renewable energy is suitable for nature and countries’ budgets, as sizeable solar power plants are up to ten times cheaper than hydroelectric and thermoelectric power plants, for example, and create more jobs in the world.