According to a survey by the Brazilian Solar Photovoltaic Energy Association (ABSOLAR), Brazil has just surpassed the 6 gigawatt (GW) mark of operational power from the photovoltaic solar source in large plants and small and medium systems installed on roofs, facades and land . In total, the source has already brought in more than R $ 31 billion in new private investments in the country, having generated around 180 thousand accumulated jobs.

In the centralized generation segment, Brazil has 2.9 gigawatts (GW) of installed power in photovoltaic solar plants, equivalent to 1.7% of the country's electrical matrix. The total investments planned until 2025 for projects already contracted in auctions of energy exceed R $ 25.8 billion. In 2019, the source was the most competitive among renewable sources in the two New Energy Auctions, A-4 and A-6, with average prices below US $ 21.00 / MWh.

Currently, large-scale solar plants are the seventh largest source of generation in Brazil, with 100 projects in operation in nine Brazilian states, in the Northeast (Piauí, Ceará, Bahia, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte and Paraíba), Southeast ( Minas Gerais and São Paulo) and North (Tocantins). The accumulated investment to date is over R $ 15 billion.

In the case of distributed generation, there are 3.1 gigawatts of installed power from the photovoltaic solar source, which represent more than R $ 15 billion in investments accumulated since 2012, spread across the five national regions. The technology is currently used in 99.8% of all connections distributed in the country.

However, although it has advanced in recent years, Brazil - holder of one of the best solar resources on the planet - still has a very small market in distributed generation, since it has more than 84.4 million consumers of electricity and only 0.4% uses the sun to produce electricity.

For ABSOLAR's CEO, Rodrigo Sauaia, Brazil is a solar nation by nature, with privileged conditions to become a world leader in the area. "Photovoltaic solar energy reduces the cost of electricity for the population, increases the competitiveness of companies and eases the budget of the government, benefiting small, medium and large consumers in the country," says Sauaia.

“Solar energy will play an increasingly strategic role in achieving the country's economic development goals, especially now to help the economy recover after the pandemic, since it is the renewable source that generates more jobs in the world”, he adds.

“In the 2015 and 2016 crises, Brazil's GDP was -3.8 and -3.6%, respectively, but the solar photovoltaic sector grew more than 100% per year. With this, we help the country's recovery. Now, after the most acute phase of the current pandemic, the photovoltaic solar energy will once again leverage Brazil's recovery. Solar will be part of the solution, both for our society and for the environment ”, recalls the chairman of ABSOLAR's Board of Directors, Ronaldo Koloszuk.