Brazil hits 7 GW mark, targets 45% renewables by 2050

From pv magazine LatAm

Brazil has passed the historic mark of 7 GW of operational PV power, according to Associação Brasileira de Energia Solar Fotovoltaica (ABSolar).

Since 2012, investors have dumped more than BRL 35 billion ($6.8 billion) into the country’s solar sector. The large-scale PV segment has reached 3 GW –equivalent to 1.6% of the electricity mix. In 2019, solar was the most competitive renewable energy source in auctions A-4 and A-6, with average prices below $21/MWh.

In the distributed-generation PV segment, total installed PV capacity has passed 4 GW, with more than BRL 20 billion of investment. Residential consumers account for 72.8% of all systems installed.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy and the state-run Empresa de Pesquisa Energetica (EPE) agency recently presented the National Energy Plan (PNE) up to 2050. The Brazilian government has set a renewable energy target of around 45% by 2030 under the new strategy.

The PNE also defines the most important challenges that PV technology will face over the coming decade. Greater variability and less predictability in generation will be the main issue for the integration of solar PV into the energy mix over the short term.

“We need to improve price models for electricity, as well as the planning and operation of the electrical system, so it represents the characteristics and uncertainties inherent to each primary source,” the energy ministry said, arguing that this will ensure greater operational security and predictability over the medium term.