In August 2022, three renewable energy sources began to occupy the top 3 of the Brazilian electrical matrix (set of sources for electricity production). Upon reaching the mark of 17 GW of installed power, solar energy displaced thermoelectric plants powered by natural gas and biomass and is now second only to hydroelectric and wind power, points out the Absolar (Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association).
According to the entity, these 17 GW generated take into account energy production in large power plants and in homes and small businesses, like restaurants. The installed power of solar sources in the segments centralized generation (GC) and distributed (GD) correspond to 8.4% of the Brazilian electrical matrix. In fact, GD representatives are responsible for this performance.
Distributed generation is the term used to refer to energy that is produced near or in the same place where it is consumed. Solar panels in homes, businesses and rural properties who chose to generate their own energy to reduce costs, account for 11.9 of the 17 GW of installed power. The rest goes into the account of large solar plants. According to Solar Channel, solar technology is the most used in the country's own generation connections, reaching 98% of cases.
This “homemade” installed power is almost the same as the Itaipu Hydroelectric Plant (14 GW). Second Exame magazine article, the solar source as a whole is expected to double the capacity of the country's largest hydroelectric plant in February 2023. Since the second month of 2022, photovoltaic energy has grown by 1 GW per month. By the end of 2022, Absolar estimates, the installed capacity will be 25 GW.
“The source helps to diversify the country’s electricity supply, reducing pressure on water resources and the risk of further increases in the population’s electricity bills,” said Rodrigo Sauaia, CEO of Absolar, to Exame.
According to the entity, thanks to the increased participation of solar energy in the electrical matrix, around 25.5 million tons of CO2, resulting from the electrical energy generation operation, were no longer emitted into the atmosphere.
