Large solar plants reach capacity of Itaipu hydroelectric dam

The largest solar power plants in Brazil surpassed the 14 gigawatt mark in operating power in June, the Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association (Absolar) reported. This power equals the installed capacity of Itaipu, the second largest hydroelectric plant on the planet, installed in southern Brazil in partnership with neighboring Paraguay.

As it stands today, all 27 Brazilian states have large-scale solar plants. Breaking it down by region, the Northeast leads the way, with 59.8 percent of the nation’s installed power. Next come the Southeast, with 39.1 percent, and the South, with 0.5 percent. The North and Center-West complete the list, with 0.3 percent each.

Despite the dependence on sunlight, the association noted, the proportion of renewable sources in Brazil’s electricity system can be increased significantly. Such an expansion could help ensure the reliability, security, and stability of the country’s electricity system, while maintaining the technical and economic balance among all energy producers.

Maximum power

When considering solar energy production facilities of all sizes—from domestic production to large plants—Brazil reached 15.7 gigawatts of maximum photovoltaic power in 2023. With four percent of the global market, the Latin American country has established itself as the third largest producer of solar energy, behind China and the US, as per the report Global Market Outlook For Solar Power 2024–2028, drawn up by the organization SolarPower Europe.

The methodology used in both Absolar’s survey and the European report takes into account the maximum production power in the highest insolation scenarios, not the nominal installed power.

Since 2012, the sector has accounted for BRL 60.7 billion in investments and generated over 424 thousand green jobs in Brazil, the association stated. In the same period, solar energy production brought in BRL 20 billion in revenue for public coffers.