EN 
PT_BR 
The rise in the dollar, the drop in the pace of manufacturing due to the coronavirus and the low availability of maritime transport were some of the factors that impacted the solar energy market.
However, although the crisis has harmed the photovoltaic sector, it has proven to be more resilient compared to other segments and has demonstrated a rapid economic recovery.
According to a survey carried out based on data from ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency), the solar source reached around 520 MW of power in the third quarter of this year, an increase of 25% in relation to the 415 MW recorded in the same period in 2019.
For Guilherme Susteras, coordinator of the distributed generation working group at ABSOLAR (Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy), this observed growth shows the robustness that the sector has.
“Despite the pandemic, the economy managed to keep turning. And this robustness is what will allow the segment to contribute to the generation of jobs and income that Brazil so desperately needs to return to growth, after the peak of the quarantine”, highlighted Susteras.
“In fact, due to social isolation, some people spent more time at home and, therefore, in order to increase the value of their homes, they chose to invest in solar energy”, added the expert.
MG leads solar expansion
ANEEL data also showed that Minas Gerais led the installed power capacity between July and September 2020 in the country. In total, 105 MW were recorded, an increase of 30% compared to 80 MW in the same period last year.
Next comes the state of São Paulo with 70 MW of power and Rio Grande do Sul with 60 MW.
Companies highlight recovery in the solar sector
For Camila Nascimento, commercial director of Win Energias Renováveis, finishing the third half of this year and comparing it with the same period last year is to visualize the exponential growth of the company. “Even due to the pandemic, we haven’t stopped expanding. Win has grown millions of times over the past year.”
“The market is also maturing, integrators are increasingly specializing and technologies are improving. Today we see generators containing modules with increasingly higher powers”, commented Camila.
