Payment for 5MW Off-Grid Solar Container in Brasilia

Will changes to Brazil's net metering policy drive a solar boom?

“The prospect of major revisions to Brazil’s net metering policy has already been a key ingredient driving a distributed solar boom that has seen small-scale capacity jump from zero in 2015 to 11GWdc [today] − double [the country’s] total utility-scale solar capacity,” James Ellis, head of Latin American research at BNEF, told PV Tech Premium.

When will solar systems be installed in Brazil?

Note: 2023 data include systems installed through March 31, 2023. Brazil’s growth in distributed generation capacity from renewable resources—especially solar—has increased rapidly since the country implemented net metering policies in 2012.

How many solar power systems are there in Brazil?

As of March 31, 2023, home and building owners have installed more than 1.8 million renewable distributed generation systems in Brazil, totaling about 19 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, the vast majority of which is solar, according to the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency (ANEEL).

What type of energy is used in Brazil?

In Brazil, solar photovoltaic dominates the distributed generation sector, representing 99% of the country’s total distributed generation capacity. Small hydroelectric and wind account for the remaining 1%.