According to the findings of the Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy (ABSOLAR), based on data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Brazil assumed the 16th position in the world ranking of the photovoltaic solar source. With this, the country enters the TOP 20 countries with the most installed solar photovoltaic capacity in operation, adding the large centralized plants and the small systems distributed in homes, businesses, industries, rural properties and in the public sector.

The entity mapped that Brazil advanced 5 positions from the end of 2018 until the end of 2019, reaching an accumulated total of 4,533 MW. In 2019 alone, 2,120 megawatts (MW) were added, driven by the advance of distributed generation, which installed 1,470 MW, and followed by 650 MW of centralized generation.

According to ABSOLAR, Brazil closed the year 2019 with R $ 24.1 billion in private investments accumulated in the solar photovoltaic source, having generated more than 134 thousand accumulated jobs since 2012. In the year of 2019 alone, the sector brought to the Brazil R $ 10.7 billion in new investments and more than 63 thousand jobs.

The ranking is led by China, followed by Japan, the United States and Germany, with emphasis on India's significant growth in the period. In the Brazilian case, in 2017, the country occupied the 27th position. In 2018, it jumped to 21st and, in the last financial year, reached 16th place.

Ronaldo Koloszuk, chairman of ABSOLAR's Board of Directors, celebrates the rise of five positions in the ranking, but recalls that Brazil is already among the top ten countries in the other renewable sources, including water, wind and biomass. “Only for solar sources, the country has not yet reached the TOP 10 in the world and we are fully able to get there. If, on the one hand, Brazil is lagging behind in solar, compared to other renewables, on the other hand, the recent advancement of solar shows that there is still an ocean of opportunities for those who want to work and undertake in this market in our country ”, he highlights Koloszuk.

“Photovoltaic solar is the most competitive renewable source in the country, being a strong locomotive for sustainable development, generating jobs and income, attracting investments, diversifying the electric matrix and systemic benefits for all consumers. Brazil has a lot to gain from the growth of this clean, renewable and competitive source and needs to advance further to become a world leader in the sector, increasingly strategic in the 21st century ”, highlights ABSOLAR's CEO, Rodrigo Sauaia.