Brazil's solar generation capacity expected to grow almost 26% in 2025, Absolar predicts
Solar power generation capacity in Brazil is expected to grow 25.6% in 2025, or 13.2 gigawatts (GW), reaching a cumulative power of 64.7 GW, industry association Absolar estimated on Wednesday.
According to the entity's projections, small solar plants installed on roofs, facades and land, framed in the distributed generation modality, will drive this growth, with a forecast of an increase of 25% compared to 2024, for a total capacity of 43 GW in the country.
Large solar plants, classified as centralized generation, are expected to reach 21.7 GW next year, a capacity increase of 27.1%.
The expansion of renewable energy in Brazil should represent 39.4 billion reais in new investments in Brazil in the year, in addition to the generation of 396.5 thousand jobs and the collection of more than 13 billion reais for the government, Absolar estimated.
Solar energy is today the second largest source of the Brazilian electricity matrix, behind only hydroelectric plants. The technology has surpassed wind power, which is also very representative.
Distributed solar generation has become popular with rooftop installations, which have tariff benefits that reduce costs for consumers.
According to Absolar, one of the priority agendas for the solar sector at the moment is to correct "connection restrictions" of distributed generation plants to the networks of energy distributors.
Solar industry officials say distributors are holding back new requests for connection to their grids, which delays the installation and use of these systems by consumers. The concessionaires, in turn, claim that the denials occur to avoid future problems in the network.
With "DG", consumers tend to demand less electricity in the regulated market, causing the distributors' market to decrease.
In centralized solar generation, the priority listed by Absolar is the solution of "curtailments", generation cuts determined by the National Electric System Operator (ONS). Solar generators ask for a guarantee of compensation for these cuts.
"The growth of solar energy strengthens sustainability, relieves family budgets and increases the competitiveness of Brazilian productive sectors, crucial factors to leverage the national economy and to achieve the country's environmental commitments," said Absolar CEO Rodrigo Sauaia in a statement.