Solar power surpasses nuclear in installed capacity in Brazil

Brazil has just surpassed the 2,000-megawatt (MW) milestone of operational capacity in centralized solar photovoltaic generation systems—large-scale plants connected to the National Interconnected System (SIN).

According to data from the Brazilian Association of Solar Photovoltaic Energy (ABSOLAR), solar photovoltaic power—based on the direct conversion of solar radiation into electricity in a renewable, clean, sustainable, and increasingly competitive way—reached a total of 2,056 MW of operational installed capacity, equivalent to 1.2% of the country's electricity mix. As a result, it becomes the 7th largest energy source in Brazil, surpassing nuclear power, which accounts for 1,990 MW (1.2%) from the Angra I and Angra II plants located in Rio de Janeiro.

According to Ronaldo Koloszuk, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ABSOLAR, solar photovoltaic energy brings numerous benefits to Brazil's progress. “This source helps reduce electricity costs, attract new private investments, generate high-quality local jobs, and mitigate environmental impacts. It also reduces electrical losses in the national grid, defers investments in transmission and distribution, and relieves the electrical system during peak daytime demand, such as in the summer months,” Koloszuk highlights.

Brazil currently has large-scale solar photovoltaic plants operating in nine states across the Northeast, Southeast, and North regions, most notably in Bahia, Minas Gerais, and Piauí.

According to ABSOLAR CEO Rodrigo Sauaia, Brazil currently has 73 centralized solar photovoltaic generation projects in operation, contracted through Federal Government electricity auctions.

“Since the first federal auction in 2014, the solar photovoltaic sector has brought more than R$ 10 billion in new private investments and tens of thousands of high-quality local jobs to Brazil. Brazil has one of the best solar resources in the world, and we are just beginning to harness it,” Sauaia projects.

Rising Competitiveness

Solar photovoltaic power has seen a sharp decline in prices, allowing the technology to reach a new level of competitiveness starting with the 2017 A-4 new energy auction. Since then, it has offered electricity at average prices lower than those of other renewables, such as biomass and small hydropower plants (SHPs).

According to Sauaia, the Federal Government recently announced, through an ordinance from the Ministry of Mines and Energy, that it will hold six new energy auctions in 2019, 2020, and 2021. “The solar photovoltaic sector is ready and poised to participate in all of these auctions, contributing to the renewable expansion of the Brazilian electricity mix at low prices. We are already the second cheapest renewable source in Brazil, and we are ready to help the country grow competitively and sustainably,” he highlights.

ABSOLAR projects that the downward price trend for solar photovoltaic energy will continue over the coming years, allowing it to play an increasingly prominent role in the expansion of the national electricity mix.

Via CicloVivo.