Following decades regarded merely as a promising clean energy source, solar power has finally established itself as a real-life alternative for Brazil's energy needs. The country's Energy Research Corporation (EPE) has announced the accreditation of 382 projects for an auction to be held on August 14.

The tender will choose suppliers for a total offering of 12,528 megawatts (MW), exceeding the expected 11,000 MW that will be produced by the Belo Monte dam currently under construction in the Amazon state of Pará. The first solar photovoltaic power auction held in October last year resulted in contracts costing an average $68 a megawatt-hour (MWh). In total, 890 MW of photovoltaic installed capacity was contracted in 2014.

Mauricio Tolmasquim, chief of the EPE, said that most solar projects are concentrated in the Northeast, a highly sun-exposed region. The state of Bahia once again leads by both number of projects and power, with 140 projects totaling an installed capacity of 4,400 MW. Second to it is the state of Piauí, with 61 projects and 2,000 MW power.

The state of Rio Grande do Norte ranks third with 39 projects and 1,332 MW, followed by Minas Gerais (36 projects totaling 1,272 MW) and São Paulo (34 projects totaling 1,250 MW).