brazil

Brazil’s solar association (Absolar) and think-tank Strategies Centre for Natural Resources and Energy (CERNE) have signed a strategic partnership agreement aimed at boosting PV deployment in the north-east regions of Brazil.

Revisions to Brazil’s net metering scheme for small-scale distributed generation renewable energy systems, came into force today (1 March).

Brazil’s solar energy sector will create between 60,000 and 90,000 new job opportunities up to 2018, according to the Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy (Absolar).

The Brazilian state of Minas Gerais is to hold an auction for solar energy in August this year requiring a total investment of more than BRL1 billion (US$253 million), according to the state's government.

Brazil’s energy regulator ANEEL has approved a further nine projects from its 1.5GW Reserve Energy Auction held last November, bringing the total of qualified renewable energy projects to 52 out of the 53 awarded.

‘Silicon Module Super League’ (SMSL) member JA Solar has placed an order with module assembly equipment specialist Suzhou Horad New Energy Equipment Co for a 300MW turnkey module assembly line destined for an as-yet unannounced facility in Brazil.

Italy-based tracker specialist Convert Italia will supply its single-axis TRJ trackers to Enel Green Power’s (EGP) 254MW PV plant in Brazil, which will be one of the largest projects in Latin America once complete at the end of 2017.

The Latin American solar market is expected to double to 2.3GW in 2016, up from 1.3GW last year, but it remains in its early stages having been held back by key markets in Brazil and Mexico, according to the latest figures from analyst firm GTM Research.

Germany-based inverter manufacturer SMA Solar Technology is setting up a subsidiary in Brazil, which will provide residential, commercial and utility-scale solar solutions as well as other services in the Latin American country.

Scatec Solar has bought a majority stake in two Brazil PV projects from Spanish company Grupo Gransolar.