With the start of commercial operation of 278.3 MW of Alex photovoltaic plant complex, in Tabuleiro do Norte and Limoeiro do Norte (CE), Brazil surpassed, last Saturday (30), the 180 GW of power for electricity generation.
According to ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency), on the same day, two wind farm generating units were released for commercial operation, totaling 8.4 MW.
The milestone was reached in less than a month after the country surpassed the 11 GW mark of operational power from the solar source in large plants and in small and medium-sized systems installed on roofs, facades and grounds.
Today, according to data from ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency), the DG (distributed generation) segment currently has 7.33 GW of installed photovoltaic power, while GC (centralized generation) currently operates with 4.47 GW in solar plants.
Solar expected to grow more than 60% in 2021
A study published by the MME (Ministry of Mines and Energy), in the August Monthly Energy Bulletin, pointed out that solar energy production should reach 18 TWh in 2021, which represents a increase of 67% compared to the 10.7 TWh recorded in 2020. According to the bulletin, of this amount, GD will have the greatest growth, generating 10.8 TWh in 2021, against 4.8 TWh in 2020, an increase of around 125%.
Alex Solar Complex
The Alex Solar Complex has an area of 830 hectares and, since its construction, has generated more than 4,500 direct and indirect jobs, according to Elera Renováveis, responsible for the solar park. The project is the company's first solar park to come into operation in Brazil. The company estimates it will invest around R$4 billion in new water, wind and solar projects by 2023.
The company is currently building approximately 1.6 GW of installed capacity, which will bring it to a total of more than 3.1 GW in the coming years. Elera Renováveis is part of Brookfield Asset Management, a management company that has been in the market for over a hundred years and has more than US$ 550 billion in assets under management, with 100 thousand operational employees in 30 countries.