A total of 23 new solar PV projects with 920.2 MW combined capacity contributed to Brazil doubling its annual power generation capacity in Q1/2023 from 1.367 GW to 2.746 GW, according to the country's National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL).
Along with 44 wind power plants with a total 1.485 GW capacity, both solar and wind represent 87.6% of Brazil's installed power capacity in Q1/2023. Other generation sources of the 82 plants that came online in the reporting quarter include 10 thermal power projects with 278.1 MW capacity, 4 small hydroelectric plants with 59.8 MW and 1 hydroelectric generating plant (CGH) of 3.4 MW capacity.
The month of March 2023 saw 28 projects become commercially operational representing 708.4 MW capacity. These comprise 8 PV projects of 340.3 MW, 17 wind power plants with 338.5 MW, 2 small hydroelectric projects of 21.3 MW, and an 8.3 MW thermoelectric plant.
Minas Gerais region accounted for the largest new capacity concentration in Q1 with 827.7 MW, followed by 666.4 MW in Rio Grande do Norte, 501.6 MW Bahia and 276.4 MW in Bahia, among others. Minas Gerais jumped up to the top of this list thanks to the 333.7 MW AC IX Solar PV Station coming online in March 2023.
Altogether, Brazil's cumulatively operational power generation capacity at the end of March 2023 reached 191.3 GW, according to Aneel including 83.6% renewable energy.
Previously, Aneel counted Brazil to have added 2.67 GW new utility scale solar capacity in 2022 which local association ABSOLAR said took the national cumulative solar capacity to 23.9 GW (see Brazil Installed Over 2.67 GW New Utility Solar In 2022).
In 2023, it expects the country to add 10.3 GW new power generation capacity with more than 90% to come from utility scale solar and wind (see Brazil Expects 298 MW New Power Generation Projects In 2023).