Brazil surpassed historic mark of 20 gigawatts of photovoltaic capacity in September

The photovoltaic source is on the verge of becoming the second largest power generator in Brazil, behind hydroelectric power, according to the Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy (Absolar).

Data from the association show that Brazil surpassed a new historic mark of 20 gigawatts (GW) installed solar capacity in September.

Adding large-scale plants and power generation systems on rooftops, facades, and small plots of land, the number is equivalent to 9.6% of the country’s electricity mix.

According to the association, approximately 1.2 million residential solar systems are installed.

And this type of energy is booming. According to data from the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel), from January to early October this year, solar power grew by 44.4%, from 13.8 GW to 20 GW.

In the last 120 days alone, the growth rate has been practically one GW per month, which places the source in the third position in the Brazilian electricity matrix (June: 15.8 GW, July: 16.4 GW, August: 17.5 GW, September: 18.6 GW, October: 20 GW).

LARGE INVESTMENTS

Likewise, the solar energy source brought about R$103 billion (US$19.8 billion) in new investments to Brazil, more than R$27.2 billion in revenue to the public coffers, and generated more than 600,000 jobs since 2012, according to Absolar.

In doing so, it also avoided producing 28.4 million tons of CO2 in electricity generation.

For Ronaldo Koloszuk, chairman of Absolar’s Board of Directors, the growth of the solar source is the perfect combination of sustainability and cheap energy, fundamental aspects in the decision-making of consumers and the productive sector.

“Finally, Brazil woke up to solar energy and its benefits, whose accelerated growth will soon place the photovoltaic source in the second position in the Brazilian electricity matrix,” he believes.

“The source helps diversify the country’s electricity supply, reducing pressure on water resources and the risk of further increases in the population’s electricity bill,” adds Koloszuk.

Also, according to a survey by Absolar, there is almost 13.5 GW of installed solar capacity in the own power generation segment.

That equates to approximately R$73.9 billion in investments and 405,000 jobs accumulated since 2012 across Brazil’s five regions.

Currently, solar technology is used in 99.9% of all self-generation connections in the country, leading the segment.

With information from El Periodico de la Energia