Central & South America

Brazil’s distributed PV systems, including installations up to 5 MW in size, have surpassed 22 GW of cumulative capacity. By the end of June, more than 2 million arrays had been deployed nationwide.

Scientists have developed a technique for producing AZO and i-ZnO/AZO bilayer structures in solar cells that greatly improves cell efficiency and durability. Using a low power deposition method that avoids raising the substrate temperature, the team achieved a power conversion efficiency of 9.53% with good transmittance.

Chile reached record levels of PV curtailment in the first five months of this year. The amount of renewable energy that could not be integrated into the electricity grid hit 735 GWh, up 86% from the same period in 2022.

Rodrigo Sauaia, the president of the Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy (Absolar), recently spoke with pv magazine about power purchase agreements, regulated auctions, macroeconomics conditions, and electricity prices in Brazil. He said the Latin American country could add 4.6 GW of utility-scale solar capacity this year, as well as another 5.5 GW from distributed generation.

Maxeon Solar Technologies says it has invested $70 million to upgrade its panel factory in Mexicali, Mexico, to 1.8 GW. The remaining capacity is provided by a 700 MW facility that the Singapore-based manufacturer operates in Ensenada.

The European Commission has agreed to ramp up hydrogen sector investments in Chile, Argentina, and Brazil, while Norsk Hydro has successfully produced the world’s first batch of recycled aluminum with hydrogen-fueled production methods.

The world installed 239 GW of new solar capacity in 2022, according to SolarPower Europe. The rooftop PV segment accounted for 49.5% of additions – the highest share in the past three years. The rooftop sectors in Brazil, Italy, and Spain grew by 193%, 127%, and 105%, respectively.

The Chilean authorities plan to hold the first procurement exercise for large-scale storage projects in 2024, with the first systems expected to go online in 2026.

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is helping Cuba to launch its first solar energy procurement exercise. Interested developers have until July 20 to submit their offers.