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Featured in Curtailment creeps – 07-08-2026

Grid upgrades critical for Colombian solar

Colombia’s cumulative solar capacity passed the 4.5 GW mark earlier in 2026, according to the government’s Mining and Energy Planning Unit (UPME). While it will likely fall short of the 6 GW target for non-conventional renewable energy set at the start of outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s term, the country has seen an uptick in demand for solar, and is growing into one of South America’s leading PV markets.
Mark Hutchins
By
Mark Hutchins
The 9.8 MW Celsia Solar Yumbo project located outside of Cali in the Valle del Cauca region was among the first large-scale solar installations connected to Colombia’s grid in 2017. | Image: Celsia Energia

Solar represents around 98% of new energy capacity installed in Colombia since 2022, when a National Development Plan began to prioritize a shift away from fossil fuels. “The country is no longer in an early adoption phase: solar energy has become the main source of growth in new installed power capacity,” said José Miguel Hernandez, …

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