Brazil’s cumulative installed PV capacity exceeded 41 GW at the end of March, with utility-scale plants accounting for 13 GW and distributed-generation resources representing 28 GW of the total.

A heat wave drove Brazil’s power demand up to a record high of 102 GW last week. However, it also affected solar power generation and pushed PV module operating temperatures to up to 60 C.

Solar accounted for 17.4% of Brazil’s electricity mix last week. PV systems up to 75 kW in size represent around 50% of the total capacity.

PV module imports fell by 1% year on year in Brazil in 2023, according to a new report from solar consultancy Greener.

Brazil has pushed past 38 GW of total installed PV capacity, with around 26.3 GW consisting of distributed-generation solar systems.

The government of Sao Paulo, Brazil, says that a new 7 MW floating solar project on a reservoir in the megalopolis is the first phase of a 75 MW facility that will be completed in 2025.

The number of PV installations around the world grew by an annual average of 28% between 2019 and 2023, including a 56% jump from 2022 to 2023, according to Wood Mackenzie. Growth is not expected from 2024 to 2028, however.

New figures from Absolar, a Brazilian PV trade group, show that the country could install 9.3 GW of solar in 2024, bringing it to 45.5 GW of installed PV capacity by the end of next year.

Solar, at 34.9 GW of installed capacity, now accounts for 15.8% of Brazil’s energy mix, ranking second after hydroelectric plants at 49%, but ahead of wind power at 12.2%, according to the Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy (Absolar).

Comerc has commissioned 662 MW of solar capacity in Várzea da Palma, Brazil. The facility will provide power to silicon metal producer Liasa via a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA).