Brazil Planning For Another 300 MW Of Solar PV Energy
Brazil, known for sand, soccer, and samba, is inching its way towards being an emerging global solar energy player, thanks to some recent action in the country. According to the country’s electricity regulator, twelve requests for new PV projects have been received since the middle of march, totalling more than 300 MW.
Chip in a few dollars a month to help support independent cleantech coverage that helps to accelerate the cleantech revolution!
PV Magazine notes that Arigo Solar Energia SPE was one of the top companies who bid for projects, with a new 30 MW PV plant in Pocinhos, Paraiba Brazil. It is expected the plant will be built as an independent power producer (IPP). Bioenergy Geradora de Energia will make the Brazilian state of Bahia a bit sunnier, with three projects in Oliveira dos Brejnhos totalling 49 MW. All three plants (29 MW Terra Do Sol VII, 10 MW Terra do Sol VIII, and 10 MW Terra do Sol XV) are anticipated to be created as IPPs.
Meanwhile, Bahia state-owned utility Companhia de Energias de Renovaveis put in a request for a 30 MW Lagoa da Itaparica V pv plant in Gentuio do Ouro. Solyes Geradora de Energia Limited announced in late March that it has bid for two PV plants in the Minas Gerais city of Conego Marinho. One project, Sol do Sertao XVI, will provide 20 MW, while the other project, the Sol Do Sertao XVII, is set for 13 MW of new solar energy.
Other projects include a Renova Energia request for registering three projects (34.56 MW Caetite IV, 34.56 MW Caetite VI and 34.56 MW Caetite VII) in Caetite, Bahia. Lastly, Renova Energia put in a bid for a 30.24 MW project in Xique-Xique, while Central Geradora Solar Fotovoltaica put in a request for a 22 MW PV plant in Coremas, Paraiba, Brazil.
While solar energy in Brazil is only providing 0.01% of the nation’s energy, that changing quickly. In 2011, Brazil had seen its solar electricity increase to 37 MW from 27 MW, an increase of 15%. Meanwhile, the Latin American country is set to triple its renewable energy production by 2020.
Brazil will use the 2014 FIFA World Cup to show its potential as emerging solar country. In April, 2012, we reported that several stadiums will be powered by solar energy in time for the World Cup, including: Brasília’s Mané Garrincha stadium; Maracana Stadium in Rio De Janeiro; Estádio Governador Magalhães in Belo Horizonte; and Pernambuco Arena in Recife.
While not in the global solar élite, Brazil is hoping that someday soon it can compete with the likes of China, Germany, and the US in solar energy, just like the Brazilian national soccer teams compete with the world’s other top soccer nations at the highest level.
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Latest CleanTechnica.TV Video
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.