Brazil

Centralized and distributed-generation PV plants in in Brazil generated less than expected last year, according to a study by Brazilian consultancy Greener.

In terms of centralized generation, the country has more than 104.4 GW of awarded projects still under construction or in development, while in distributed generation, there was more than 30 GW as of February from projects with connection requests made by Jan. 1. In both segments, the availability of network connections remains a barrier in carrying out projects.

Brazilian demand for distributed-generation PV grew by 73% year on year in 2022, according to a new report by Greener. JinkoSolar was the largest module supplier in Brazil, with shipments reaching 3,065 MW.

Rodrigo Lopes Sauaia, the CEO of the Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy (ABSolar), speaks to pv magazine about why Brazil is poised to install a record-breaking 10.1 GW of new capacity in 2023. He says both distributed-generation and utility-scale PV projects will contribute to “the best year of solar so far.”

Grid operator ISA CTEEP has started commercially operating a large-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) at the Registro substation in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo. The 30 MW/60 MWh BESS is expected to provide backup power to the grid during hours of peak demand in summer.

Brazil has deployed 7 GW of utility-scale solar and 14.98 GW of distributed-generation PV projects below 5 MW in size to date.

Brazil’s Omega Energia’s new 4.6 GW solar project is set to become the world’s largest PV installation upon completion. However, the Brazilian state of Ceará has postponed plans to grant it an environmental license until Dec. 1.

The Brazilian Association of Distributed Generation (ABGD) has announced that the sector reached the 14 GW milestone. Installed capacity grew from 13 GW to 14 GW in just over a month, “the fastest growth ever recorded,” the association claims.

Brazil’s energy agency has awarded 23.5 MW of solar capacity in its latest auction, at a price of BRL 0.176 ($0.033)/kWh. The auction ceiling price was BRL 0.28 ($0.0529)/kWh.

Brazil has deployed 6.52 GW of cumulative utility-scale solar and 13.57 GW of distributed-generation PV projects below 5 MW in size.