Brazil added 7.4 GW of new large-scale power capacity in 2025, with solar PV contributing more than 2.81 GW, the highest among all technologies
According to ANEEL, by January 1, 2026, the country’s total large-scale installed capacity reached 215.9 GW, with renewables accounting for 84.63% of the total
Rising curtailment and project cancellations are pushing Brazil to introduce battery energy storage, including a first national BESS auction planned for April 2026
Brazil’s new electricity generation capacity in 2025 increased by 7.4 GW of large-scale projects, led by solar PV capacity of over 2.81 GW, according to the country’s energy sector regulatory authority Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (ANEEL).
While solar PV drove new additions with 63 newly connected centralized power plants, 15 thermal power plants added another 2.5 GW. A total of 43 wind farms grid-connected 1.82 GW of capacity. The remaining additions came from 11 hydroelectric plants with 199.34 MW, a hydroelectric project of 50 MW, and 3 hydroelectric generating plants of 6.7 MW.
As of January 1, 2026, Brazil’s total installed large-scale power generation capacity totaled 215.9 GW, comprising 84.63% of renewable sources. ANEEL forecasts 23.4% annual growth for this segment in 2026, at 9.14 GW.
In August 2025, Brazilian solar energy association ABSOLAR said the country’s cumulative installed solar capacity had reached the milestone of 60 GW and projected strong distributed generation growth through 2030 (see Brazil’s Cumulative Installed Solar PV Capacity Expands To 60 GW).
GlobalData, according to Power Technology, estimates the country’s solar PV installations to have grown by 12 GW in 2025, driven by distributed generation, which expanded to 43.5 GW by the end of 2025. It highlights a sharp rise in curtailment due to grid constraints as one of the challenges for solar and wind in this market.
In 2025, Brazil revoked concession permits for 509 solar and wind power plants totaling approximately 22 GW in 2025. Their permits were revoked following requests of non-viability of projects from the developers who availed of the government offer for cancellation of the permits without penalties by the deadline of December 26, 2025.
To address this situation, Brazil is training its sights on battery energy storage systems (BESS). In November 2025, it published Law No. 15,269/2025 to offer a regulatory framework for energy storage and to create mechanisms to compensate generators for curtailment. The country is set to launch its maiden battery storage auction in April 2026.
For the distributed generation segment, the Brazilian Association of Distributed Generation (ABGD) forecasts a 15% annual increase in installations in 2026 to reach the milestone of 50 GW, says bnamericas.