Solar energy has become Brazil’s third-largest energy source

According to a survey published by the Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association (Absolar), solar energy plants already surpass thermoelectric plants powered by natural gas and biomass to become Brazil’s third most important source of electricity.

The data shows that the largest country in South America currently has an installed capacity of 16.41 gigawatts (GW) of solar photovoltaic systems, considering centralized generation (large-scale projects) and distributed generation (smaller systems on rooftops, facades, and in the countryside).

It represents 8.1% of Brazil’s matrix, behind hydropower (53.9%) and wind power (10.8%), according to the Absolar survey.

Thermoelectric plants powered by natural gas have a total capacity of 16.37 GW (8.1% of the matrix), while those powered by biomass and biogas have a capacity of 16.30 GW (8%).

In a statement, the directors of “Absolar” highlighted the competitiveness of the source, which has seen rapid growth, especially since 2018 in Brazil.

“Large solar power plants generate electricity at prices up to ten times lower than those of fossil thermoelectric power plants or electricity imported from neighboring countries, two of the main contributors to the increase in consumer tariffs,” said Carlos Dornellas, director of the institution

“Absolar” estimates that since 2012, the solar source in Brazil has already generated more than R$86.2 billion (US$15.7 billion) in investments and has also avoided the emission of 23.6 million tons of carbon dioxide in electricity generation.

With information from Latin Press

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