Analyst Aurora Energy Research estimates battery storage systems cost 10% less than new combined cycle thermal power plants – and could be 29% cheaper. pv magazine spoke to Aurora’s Inês Gaspar about the figures.

According to the draft of the auction rules published by the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the procurement exercise will be held in June 2025 for systems with a power output of at least 30 MW that can store energy for at least four hours a day. The draft says that the contracts will cover a period of 10 years, with operation starting in July 2029.

The Brazilian authorities say they plan to hold a large-scale energy storage auction in 2025, potentially creating a market for large-scale storage facilities in the country.

The conditions are in place for the country’s battery energy storage market to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20% to 30%, as Holu Solar’s Sophia Costa explained.

The Intersolar South America trade show drew 650 exhibitors and 55,000 visitors in August, highlighting industry growth with new pavilions on storage and electric mobility. Brazil is on track to reach 47.2 GW of installed solar capacity by the end of this year, with 11 GW of new PV capacity additions, according to Brazilian PV association ABsolar.

Agriculture accounts for 21.5% of Brazil’s gross domestic product and 27% of its emissions. PV companies are now targeting an industry that represents 14% of the nation’s small-scale installations. With credit incentives and growing familiarity with the technology, agribusinesses and solar specialists are discovering new opportunities for collaboration.

New research shows that achieving universal electricity access in the Amazon region will require up to 15 million PV modules and more than $7.4 billion in investments.

The company opened an inverter factory in the Manaus Free Trade Zone with a capacity of 1.8 GW, or 300,000 units per year. In the second phase, it plans to bring in the production of hybrid inverters and lithium batteries as well as chargers for electric vehicles and motors for electric boats. The company will have distribution centers in Curitiba and Fortaleza to ensure rapid delivery of equipment to the domestic market, with a minimum warranty of 10 years.

The rapid growth of renewable energy in Brazil has not been matched by transmission and distribution infrastructure. Connection restrictions for both “distributed-” and centralized-generation sites are leading companies to adopt new strategies to maintain expansion, reports pv magazine Brasil’s Livia Neves.

Despite global overcapacity, several factors may contribute to a slight increase in solar panel prices in Brazil, with shipping costs and quotas for fiscal exemptions on imported PV modules playing a key role.