Solar leads the registration of new projects in new energy auctions

Photovoltaic plant projects registered in new energy auctions, announced last week by EPE (Energy Research Company), account for 62.5% of all the power available in these Federal Government events, according to mapping carried out by ABSOLAR (Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association). 

The auctions are scheduled to be held sequentially on June 25, 2021, with the participation of wind, photovoltaic, hydroelectric, thermoelectric and biomass projects. 

In total, 1,841 projects were registered, of which 1,501 were registered for participation in the two competitions, totaling more than 66.8 GW of supply, equivalent to more than a third of the current power of the Brazilian electricity matrix.

Of this total, the photovoltaic source was the highlight, with 1,050 projects, totaling 41.8 GW of power. The region with the most registered projects was the Northeast, led by the state of Bahia with 597 projects, totaling 20.7 GW.

For Anderson Garofalo, vice-president of Centralized Generation at ABSOLAR, there is a growing interest in the Brazilian solar sector in contributing to the expansion of the national electricity matrix. 

“The solar source is currently one of the best solutions for expanding energy capacity. renewable electrical energy generation in Brazil, in addition to having a high capacity to contribute to generating jobs in the short, medium and long term”, highlights the executive.

Currently, in centralized generation – the segment of large solar plants – Brazil has 3.1 GW of operational power, equivalent to just 1.7% of the Brazilian electrical matrix. “In 2019, solar was the most competitive among renewable sources in the two New Energy Auctions, A-4 and A-6, with average prices below US$ 21.00/MWh”, highlights Rodrigo Sauaia, executive president of ABSOLATE.

Today, large photovoltaic plants are the seventh largest source of generation in the country, with projects in operation in nine Brazilian states: Bahia, Ceará, Minas Gerais, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, São Paulo and Tocantins.

The segment's accumulated investments amount to more than R$ 16 billion, with an additional R$ 9 billion already contracted to be invested by 2025.