Brazil passes 2 million solar photovoltaic installations, signaling growth potential for renewables

Brazil has achieved a significant milestone with over 2 million photovoltaic solar systems installed on roofs, facades, and small plots of land, according to a survey conducted by Absolar (Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association).

These installations contribute to a total installed power capacity of 22 gigawatts (GW) across homes, businesses, industries, rural properties, and public buildings.

Bárbara Rubim, Vice President of Absolar, highlights the growth potential demonstrated by these numbers.

She emphasizes that the achievement showcases both Brazil’s immense potential for solar photovoltaic generation and the desire of Brazilian consumers to generate their own energy, not only for cost savings but also to contribute to the sustainable development of the country.

Solar energy has climbed to the second position in the Brazilian electricity matrix, surpassing wind energy at the beginning of this year.

Solar energy accounts for 14.3% of the country’s total installed power, second only to hydroelectric power (51%).

Projections for 2023 indicate that the production will reach between 25 and 28 GW, with nearly 18 GW of installed power recorded in 2022. The anticipated additional capacity for this year is around 10 GW.

Although the 2 million photovoltaic systems currently serve 2.6 million consumer units, this represents less than 3% of the total number of consumer units in Brazil.

Absolar’s survey reveals that photovoltaic technology is present in 5,530 cities across all states, with the highest participation in Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, and Paraná.

Barbara Rubim envisions reaching all 5,570 municipalities by the end of the year, propelled by increasing government programs for photovoltaic energy, including generation in public buildings.

Since 2012, private investments totaling R$111.2 billion have been injected into the sector, creating nearly 700,000 jobs and contributing R$29.8 billion to public coffers.

Although the first half of this year experienced a sales slowdown due to political and macroeconomic changes impacting retail, the second semester is expected to bring a resumption of growth, expansion in the number of installed systems and beneficiaries.