Distributed solar generation reaches 8 GW mark in Brazil

With 720 thousand systems connected to the grid, solar DG is already present in more than 97.3% of Brazilian municipalities
GD solar atinge marca de 8 GW no Brasil
Distributed solar source is already present in more than 97.3% of Brazilian municipalities. Photo: Vitória Ponte

Solar DG (distributed generation) reached the mark of 8 GW of installed power in Brazil this Wednesday morning (22), according to data collected by Solar Channel, next to ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency). 

The numbers show that, in 2021 alone, more than 3.18 GW were accounted for by the segment in all Brazilian states. This is a record that – even without the year ending – already surpasses, by far, the entire amount accumulated in 2020 (2.68 GW). 

Currently, GD solar also has more than 720 thousand systems connected to the grid and installed in homes, industries, businesses, public buildings, rural properties and service companies. On January 1, 2021, there were 321.6 thousand systems. 

“These are numbers that represent a major milestone for the Brazilian photovoltaic sector. Solar energy is democratic and everyone can have access. In my opinion, these are data that encourage the sector and leave all professionals hopeful for what lies ahead in 2022”, says Gustavo Tegon, solar energy specialist and co-founder of Solar Sphere.

Other numbers 

ANEEL numbers also show that the distributed solar source is already present in more than 97.3% of Brazilian municipalities (5,420 of the total of 5,570), being Minas Gerais (1.44 GW), São Paulo (1.03 MW) , Rio Grande do Sul (0.97 GW), Mato Grosso (0.59 GW) and Paraná (0.42 GW), the states that lead generation in terms of installed power. 

Among the consumption classes, residential is the one with the highest numbers, with 3.46 GW. Next come companies in the commerce and services sectors (2.74 GW), rural consumers (1.08 GW) and industries (0.6 GW). Sectors such as public power, public services and public lighting together add another 98.2 MW. 

Jobs in the solar sector 

In the first eleven months of the year, Brazil surpassed the mark of 141 thousand jobs created in the solar energy sector. This is an increase of 63.9% in relation to the 86 thousand admissions that were carried out throughout 2020. The information was also collected by Solar Channel, based on data from ABSOLATE (Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association).

For 2022, new investments in the sector and improvements in the companies' financial environment are expected, which should stimulate the search for new professionals in the market. According to CCEE (Electric Energy Trading Chamber), photovoltaic DG has been growing by around 230% per year in Brazil since 2020. 

Picture of Henrique Hein
Henrique Hein
He worked at Correio Popular and Rádio Trianon. He has experience in podcast production, radio programs, interviews and reporting. Has been following the solar sector since 2020.

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