EDP Brasil’s 6.6 MW solar for McDonald’s; GameChange Solar’s 200 MW order for Colombia; Colombia added 15 MW in Q2/2022; 50 MW Dominican Republic solar project; Alunorte to offtake 60% power from 531 MW Brazilian project; Brazil installed nearly 50 MW solar in June 2022.
Solar power for McDonald’s in Brazil: EDP Brasil has energized 6.6 MW solar PV capacity for McDonald’s restaurants in Brazil that are operated by the latter’s Latin American franchise partner Arcos Dorados. The 3 projects with this combined capacity are located in São Paulo and in Minas Gerais states. Under a power purchase agreement (PPA) of 12 years, 28 restaurants and 7 kiosks of McDonald’s will be powered by solar energy generated by more than 16,200 PV panels installed with trackers. Arcos hopes to avoid 725 tons of CO2 emissions annually with the help of these new solar plants as it targets reduction of 36% GHG emissions from its operations and 31% emissions from its entire chain by 2030. EDP Brasil has now grown its portfolio of contracted solar energy to over 244 MW, out of which 112.6 MW comes from distributed projects and 132.3 MW from centralized production. It aims to reach 1 GW installed solar capacity in the country by 2025.
GameChange Solar’s 200 MW Colombia order: GameChange Solar has secured a contract to supply 200 MW of its Genius Tracker systems in Colombia. The company did not identify the customer or share any other details, but said the systems began shipping this month.
Colombia added 15.29 solar in Q2/2022: The national grid operator of Colombia, XM Compania de Expertos en Mercados counts 3 solar power projects with 15.29 MW combined capacity having been connected to the grid in Q2/2022. Individual capacity of the 3 projects are 400 kW of Depi Energy SAS, 9.9 MW—a Celsia Colombia SAESP facility, and 4.99 MW project also by Celsia Colombia. It takes the total solar energy generation in the country in commercial operation to 160 MW. By the end of December 2022, there are 2 more solar projects of 9.9 MW capacity each that are to be grid connected, it added.
50 MW solar park in Dominican Republic: The Dominican Electricity Transmission Company (ETED) in the Dominican Republic, announced on July 8, 2022 that it will commission a 50 MW solar park on July 9, 2022. The El Soco Photovoltaic Park in San Pedro de Macoris will increase the provincial and national clean power generation capacity.
Alunorte signs up for solar power from 531 MW project: Aluminum producer Alunorte has entered a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Scatec, Equinor and Hydro Rein’s 531 MW solar project in Brazil. Alunorte will procure around 60% of the power to be generated by the Mendubim Solar Project in Rio Grande do Norte. The remaining power will be sold in the Brazilian power market. It is Scatec’s 2nd solar Brazilian project which it estimates to cost $430 million.
Brazil installed 49.6 MW solar in June 2022: The National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL) of Brazil says in June 2022, the country added 165.6 MW renewable energy capacity in the form of 87.6 MW wind, 49.6 MW solar PV and 28.4 MW from thermoelectric plants. Overall, in Q1/2022, Brazil added 2.328 GW of new energy capacity with Rio Grande do Norte adding the maximum with 521.14 MW. At the end of June 2022, the country’s total installed power generation capacity of 183.59 GW.
