Distributed solar generation reaches a milestone of 400,000 consumers, a rise of 118%

According to the Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association (ABSOLAR),
Brazil has just reached the mark of 400,000 consumer units of solar
photovoltaic distributed generation, a growth of 118% in the last 12 months,
with the addition of another 214,000 consumers in the period.

The technology already represents more than 3.8 gigawatts (GW) of
operational installed power, being responsible for attracting more than R$ 19
billion in new investments since 2012.

Residential consumers account for 68.8% of this total, followed by businesses
in the trade and services sectors (20.2%), rural consumers (8%), industries
(2.6%), public authorities (0.4%) and other types, such as public services
(0.03%) and public lighting (0.01%).

The association informed that, in terms of installed power, consumers in the
trade and services sectors lead the use of photovoltaic solar energy, with
38.8% of the total in the country, followed closely by residential consumers
(38%), rural consumers (13.2%), industries (8.8%), public authorities (1.1%)
and other types, such as public services (0.1%) and public lighting (0.02%).

Photovoltaic solar technology is already present in more than 5,000 cities and
in all Brazilian states.

The five leading cities in distributed solar energy are Uberlândia (MG), Cuiabá
(MT), Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Fortaleza (CE) and Teresina (PI), respectively.

ABSOLAR points out, however, that although it has advanced in recent years,
Brazil – which has one of the best solar resources on the planet – still has a
small market in distributed generation, against the more than 85.9 million
consumers of electricity.

Today, less than 0.5% of the population uses the Sun to produce electricity.

“Solar energy will have an increasingly strategic role in achieving the
country’s economic development goals, especially at this moment, to help in
the recovery of the economy after the pandemic, since it is the renewable
source that generates the most jobs in the world,” says ABSOLAR CEO,
Rodrigo Sauaia.

The sector has already generated 110 thousand jobs in the last eight years,
according to the association.

Source: ABSOLAR