More than 12.5GW of solar PV projects have been given the green light to participate in Brazil's latest round of reserve energy auctions.
The country's Energy Research Company (EPE), announced at the end of last week that 382 PV projects have been accredited, making up 12,528MW of capacity in total, ahead of the tender process taking place on 14 August.
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According to an EPE statement, the total capacity of prospective bidders exceeds the total capacity of a vast 11GW hydro power plant, Belo Monte, being built in the country.
EPE quoted its president as having said the volume of bids was good for consumers as it means the award process is likely to be highly competitive.
Brazil held its first ever PV-only auction late last year, which EPE described as a great success, with projects hitting a low price of US$215 per MWh on average. That auction, which concluded in October 2014, led to the deployment of 31 solar plants, with a combined generation capacity of just under 890MW. It was followed by all-energy auctions in November.
EPE said that this time around, the north-eastern region of Brazil, which enjoys the highest levels of solar irradiance in the country, had the most project proposals, as expected.
