Brazil will reach almost 25 GW of solar installed capacity by the end of 2022

Projections of ABSOLATE (Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association) point out that Brazil is expected to end 2022 with almost 25 GW of installed solar energy capacity. This would represent a growth of more than 91.7% in relation to the country's current numbers, which today have little more than 13 GW.

In the entity's understanding, more than 11.9 GW should be added this year, including large-scale plants and own electricity generation systems. 

For DG (distributed generation) the projection predicts a growth of 105% compared to the total already installed by 2021, going from 8.3 GW to 17.2 GW, due to the recent and sanctioned Law No. 14,300. In the GC segment (centralized generation), the expected growth is 67.8%, rising from 4.6 GW to 7.8 GW.

The increase should be driven mainly by the advancement of the source in the so-called ACL (Free Contracting Environment) of electrical energy, which will be responsible for the largest portion of the large plants scheduled to enter commercial operation in 2022.

In January last year, the Association bet that 2021 would end with just over 12 GW of operational power, which ended up happening.

“We project very robust growth for 2022, driven by the high cost of the electricity bill and the benefits provided to consumers, as a definitive solution to guarantee electricity supply at competitive prices”, said Ronaldo Koloszuk, president of the Board of Directors of ABSOLAR.

Jobs and private investments

ABSOLAR also predicts that the source will generate more than 357 thousand new jobs in 2022 alone, which will total more than 747 thousand jobs in Brazil since 2012, distributed among all the sector's productive links. 

The largest portion of these jobs should come from the solar energy generation segment, which should be responsible for more than 251 thousand jobs this year. Last year, 153 thousand jobs were created over the twelve months of the year, a historic record that easily surpassed the 86 thousand admissions in 2020. 

Regarding new private investments, the sector is expected to exceed the figure of R$ 50.8 billion in 2022, including the distributed and centralized generation segments. Of this amount, GD will correspond to approximately R$ 40.6 billion. 

The survey also projects that the Brazilian photovoltaic sector will be responsible for a net increase in federal, state and municipal government revenue of more than R$ 15.8 billion this year, contributing to the strengthening of public budgets and the provision of better services for Brazilian society.

Professionals prepare for the growth of the sector 

The numbers presented by ABSOLAR are already reflected in the perception of professionals and integrators in the Brazilian photovoltaic market. Ricardo Rizzotto, owner of EOS Solar, says that he intends to increase his company's revenue in relation to 2021. “Last year, sales grew by more than 35% and for this year I am expecting an increase of 50% or more” he said. 

The businessman also highlighted that the company is already preparing for what lies ahead, which in his opinion will be a “boom” in the sector. Measures include hiring new professionals, purchasing new equipment and moving to a larger headquarters. “We are going to a new headquarters, measuring 800 m2, where there is storage and production of metal structures,” he said.

Another important change cited by Rizzotto is the change from simple profit to real profit, in which the company now has the possibility of purchasing equipment and products in its own name and no longer through direct billing. “This allows me to maintain inventory at a lower cost. This will be important because the lack of material at the end of the year will certainly be great”, he concluded.