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Brazil’s Solar PV Capacity Close To 12 GW

ABSOLAR: Brazil Installed Over 3.7 GW New Solar During 10M/2021

Anu Bhambhani
  • ABSOLAR says till the end of October 2021, Brazil's total installed solar PV capacity reached around 12 GW
  • Minas Gerais is the only state to have achieved GW-level solar PV capacity, having installed over 1.34 GW
  • According to ANEEL, in October 2021 Brazil saw 957 MW new power generation capacity coming online, comprising 544.3 MW of solar energy

At the end of October 2021, Brazil's total installed solar PV capacity reached 11.596 GW—comprising both centralized and distributed generation—according to the local solar energy association ABSOLAR.

According to ABSOLAR, the country exited 2020 with 7.883 GW total solar installed, so it would mean a growth of over 3.7 GW during 10M/2021, out of which close to 2 GW new PV capacity should have come up between August 2021 and October 2021. That's because on August 24, 2021 ABSOLAR announced the country having reached the milestone of 10 GW total solar energy capacity (see Brazil's Cumulative Solar Capacity Reaches 10 GW).

Of the nearly 12 GW installed till October 2021, centralized PV capacity made up 4.296 GW or 37% of the total, while distributed generation contributed the rest 63% or 7.3 GW. The state with the maximum capacity till the end of reporting period was Minas Gerais, in fact the only one in the GW level with 1.344 GW, followed by Sao Paulo with 934.2 MW, and Rio Grande do Sul with 894.7 MW, among others.

According to Brazil's Electricity Regulatory Agency (ANEEL), the country's total installed power generation capacity as on October 30, 2021 reached 180 GW with the contribution of 5.869 GW during 10M/2021. Out of this, 82.73% capacity came from renewables.

In the month of October 2021 alone, 957.03 MW new power generation capacity started commercial operations in Brazil, with 80% of it coming from renewables like wind, hydro and solar. Around 57% or 544.30 MW of the total was contributed by solar alone.

ANEEL said the power generation expansion goal for 2021 at 4.79 GW was surpassed in September 2021 alone.