2,700 MW Of Solar PV Up For Grabs At Upcoming Brazilian Renewable Energy Auction

2.7 GW of new solar photovoltaic (PV) will be up for grabs at Brazil’s next renewable energy auction on November 18th, according to the government’s energy ministry. This upcoming auction will be the first time that solar PV has been included in one of the auctions — most previous auctions have been dominated by wind energy.

The inclusion of solar PV is something of a surprise, given relatively recent comments from the government in Brazil stating that it didn’t expect solar PV to become a viable option in the country until 2017 or so. That April 2012 statement argued that solar energy was almost twice as expensive as wind. But it appears that there must have been some unexpected developments since then, as solar PV will now been included in the auctions.

Image Credit: Christ the Redeemer Brazil via Flickr CC

According to Mauricio Tolmasquim — the president of the government’s Energy Research Company (EPE) — “the ongoing fall in solar panel prices meant it was likely photovoltaic generation would gain more space in the Brazilian energy matrix,” as reported by PV Tech.

On that note, it’s important to keep in mind just how substantial Brazil’s solar energy potential actually is — Brazil has some of the highest solar irradiation rates in the world, ranging from 4.25 to 6.5 sun hours/day. As we reported previously: “The large majority of its land area in the tropics, Brazil’s estimated solar incidence ranks among the highest in the world. Solar insolation levels (measured in kWh/m2/day) are relatively high and promising across the country, from Belem in the north– an average 5.02 — to Porto Alegre in the south– an average 4.30. Large urban metro areas, such as Sao Paolo– an average 4.54 — and Rio de Janeiro– an average 4.32– likewise hold promise.”

With such substantial potential, hopefully the rate of solar energy installation will begin picking up in the country. 🙂

For previous Brazil solar news check out:

1. Brazil Receives Requests For 392 MW Of Solar Power Projects Within One Week
2. First Brazil 2014 World Cup Solar Powered Stadium Opens
3. Brazil World Cup Stadiums to Be Powered by Solar Energy