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Brazil

Equinor & Scatec Solar Complete 162 Megawatt Brazilian Solar Plant

by Joshua S Hill November 29, 2018

Norwegian energy companies Equinor and Scatec Solar announced this week that they had completed the 162 megawatt (MW) Apodi Solar plant in Brazil, the former’s first step into the solar industry.

The 162 MW Apodi Solar plant located in the Brazilian state of Ceará and was awarded in the auction process held by ANEEL, the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency, in November 2015. The project signed a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with CCEE, the Brazilian Power Commercialization Chamber, and is expected to deliver approximately 340,000 MW-hours (MWh) of electricity annually — enough to provide the equivalent of over 170,000 households and reduce CO2 emissions of around 200,000 tonnes per year.

The project was developed jointly by Scatec Solar and Equinor following an agreement made in October of 2017. The Joint Venture between the two companies built the project, and will own and operate it moving forward, as well as being responsible for maintenance and asset management.

“We have successfully realized our first solar power plant in Brazil and yet again confirming our strong track record as an independent solar power producer,” crowed Raymond Carlsen, CEO of Scatec Solar. “We see significant potential for further growth in Brazil and other parts of Latin America, and we will soon start construction of a new 117 MW solar plant in Argentina in partnership with Equinor.”

“This is a strategic milestone for Equinor. Apodi was our first step into the solar industry,” added Pål Eitrheim, EVP of New Energy Solutions in Equinor. “With the plant now in operations and through our excellent collaboration with Scatec Solar, we are complementing Equinor’s portfolio with profitable solar energy. Apodi adds to our portfolio in Brazil, a core area for the company. This also shows that we are well underway on our journey to become a broad energy company turning natural resources into energy for people and progress for society.”

Scatec Solar is also looking to continue developing solar projects in both Brazil and South America. “We see significant potential for further growth in Brazil and other parts of Latin America, and we will soon start construction of a new 117 MW solar plant in Argentina in partnership with Equinor,” explained Raymond Carlsen.

November 29, 2018 0 comment

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Canadian Solar Awarded 364 Megawatts Of Solar Projects In Latest Brazil Auction

by Joshua S Hill April 11, 2018

written by Joshua S Hill

Canadian Solar, one of the world’s leading solar power companies, announced on Tuesday that it had successfully been awarded 364 megawatts (MW) worth of solar projects in Brazil’s most recent renewable energy auction which was held earlier this month and which awarded around 1 gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy capacity.

Brazil’s government-run energy agency, Empresa de Pesquisa Energetica (EPE) and the Electric Energy Trading Chamber (CCEE) announced last week the winners for its A-4 auction which was held on April 4. In total, around 1 GW was awarded including 114.4 MW worth of wind power, 61.8 MW worth of biomass, 41.6 MW worth of small-scale hydroelectricity, and a mammoth 806.6 MW worth of solar power.

According to reports, the average price for solar projects in the A-4 auction was around 118 BRL ($35.2)/MW-hour (MWh) after the country’s energy regulator, ANEEL, had established a maximum price of 312 BRL (US$96.5)/MWh for PV.

Canadian Solar was definitely one of the big winners out of this auction, announcing on Tuesday that it had been awarded a total of 364 MW for three solar PV projects in the auction. The three projects were awarded in the states of Minas Gerais and Ceara and were each awarded under a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement. Upon completion, the three Canadian Solar projects are expected to provide approximately 706,056 MWh of clean electricity to the grid, and are all expected to begin commercial operation in 2022.

“We are proud to be the only company that has been successful in winning projects in all of the five Federal Auctions held to date in Brazil,” said Dr Shawn Qu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Solar. “Brazil has proven to be an important market for us. Relentless innovations and focuses on driving down cost while improving efficiencies in all aspects have allowed Canadian Solar to deliver a 55.5% reduction in energy prices from the first auction, which accelerated the adoption of solar energy in the country.”

French renewable energy EDF Energies Nouvelles was another of the auction’s successful recipients, being awarded the contract to build a 114 MW wind farm. The project, which is to be built in the state of Bahia, is expected to be commissioned in 2021 and will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of around 290,000 Brazilian homes each year.

April 11, 2018 0 comment

Solar Projects

292 Megawatt Solar Power Installation Under Way in Brazil

by Steve Hanley February 7, 2017

written by Steve Hanley

Italian utility company Enel has announced its subsidiary, Enel Green Power, will shortly commence construction of the largest solar power installation in South America — 292 megawatts. Located in Piauí in the state of Nova Olinda, the solar panel farm will cover 1,700 acres and will generate more than 600 gigawatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to power 300,000 Brazilian homes. It will eliminate up to 350,000 tons of carbon dioxide being spewed into the atmosphere every year.

Enel solar in Brazil

Enel was the winner of a solar energy auction in August, 2015. Before the auction, governor Wellington Dias traveled to Italy and Germany to learn more about solar energy products and encourage businesses to participate in the auction process. “This initiative is part of our project to work hard and produce what Brazil needs: energy, food, good services and generate jobs and income, making the economy grow. Piauí is ready for this task and we are working to increase investments and generate employment and income for the population,” Dias says.

Enel’s manager for Brazil, Carlo Zorzoli, points out that the company intends to continue investing in the Brazil’s energy sector. “The Brazilian government has developed an attractive and well-structured auction process and we have built our success based on market leading technology, excellence in financing and reputation,” says Zorzoli.

February 7, 2017 0 comment

BYD Will Build New Solar Panel Factory In Brazil

by Steve Hanley August 22, 2016

written by Steve Hanley

In the US, Tesla and SolarCity grab most of the solar power headlines. But globally, China’s BYD is making plenty of noise of its own. It has just agreed to construct a new $45 million dollar factory to build solar panels for the Brazilian market. Until recently, Brazil got the majority of its electrical power from hydroelectric facilities, but droughts have forced it to consider other renewable sources as well.

August 22, 2016 0 comment

Today's solar panels are fine for tomorrow's needs says a new report from MIT

Solar Projects

Brazil Releases Full List Of Public Solar Auction Winners

by Joshua S Hill September 9, 2015

written by Joshua S Hill

The results of Brazil’s huge Leilão de Reserva solar auction held at the end of August have been trickling in slowly, and now the full list of winners has been revealed.

We had already seen that Enel Green Power was the biggest winner, walking away with three separate projects totalling 553 MW. Canadian Solar also did fairly well, with five separate projects totalling 185 MW.

However, the full list of recipients is now available, and looks like this:

Enel Green Power — 553 MW
Canadian Solar — 185 MW
Conergy — 60 MW
SunEdison — 16 MW
Solatio — unknown
Martifer Energy — unknown

Reports were also floated that Russian energy company Renova had also acquired some measure of success in the auction, but this appears to have been proven incorrect.

In total, the Brazilian government handed out capacity contracts totalling 834 MW at an average price of 301.79 Real per megawatt-hour, or around US$0.0842/kWh — which was around 13.5% below the maximum price set for the auction.

“Brazil’s auction was one of the most competitive in the world,” said Eduardo Abreu, Conergy’s General Manager in Brazil. “Of bids totaling 11,200MWp, only 833 MWp were approved, making Conergy’s projects among the top 7.5%. The team’s technical expertise enabled efficient site selection and project design gave the company a competitive advantage during the auction.”

September 9, 2015 0 comment

PV Solar Projects

Brazil Awards Over 800 MW In Public Solar Auction At 8¢/kWh

by Joshua S Hill September 8, 2015

written by Joshua S Hill

Brazil held its Leilão de Reserva public solar tender on August 28, and handed out over 800 MW of solar PV at 8 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Enel Green Power was the biggest winner in the auction, walking away with three separate projects totalling 553 MW. Canadian Solar also did fairly well, being awarded five separate projects totalling 185 MW.

In total, the Brazilian government awarded capacity totalling 834 MW at an average price of 301.79 Real per megawatt-hour, or around US$0.0842/kWh — which was around 13.5% below the maximum price set for the auction.

Enel Green Power will invest $600 million into the construction of three newly awarded projects — the 103 MW Horizonte MP, the 158 MW Lapa, and the 292 MW Nova Olinda project. These are in addition to the already operational 11 MW Fontes Solar I and II — the country’s largest solar PV complex currently in operation — as well as a further 254 MW awarded to them in November 2014 for the construction of the Ituverava solar project.

“We are extremely pleased about this landmark win, thanks to which we became the number one company in the Brazilian solar industry,” said Enel Green Power’s CEO, Francesco Venturini.

“The 818 MW of total capacity won in all photovoltaic auctions launched in Brazil so far, the 700 MW won in wind power auctions and 102 MW won in hydropower auctions in the country since 2010 all offer further validation of our Latin America growth strategy, the strength of which is based on our focus on technologies that are approaching or are at grid parity, developing and delivering innovative solutions and extracting synergies with other Enel Group companies in the region.”

According to reports, other companies that were awarded project capacity under Brazil’s auction include Spain’s Solatio, US-based SunEdison, and Russia’s Renova.

September 8, 2015 0 comment

Solar Projects

Canadian Solar Awarded 5 Projects Totalling 185 MW In Brazil Solar Auction

by Joshua S Hill September 3, 2015

written by Joshua S Hill

Canadian Solar announced Thursday that it has been awarded 5 projects totalling 185 MW in Brazil’s landmark Leilão de Reserva public solar tender.

The news follows on Enel Green Power’s announcement that it had come out as the largest winner in the auction, with 3 projects totalling 553 MW. The Leilão de Reserva auction awarded a total 834 MW of solar power capacity, at an average price of Real 301.79 per megawatt-hour, or around US$0.0842/kWh.

Minus Enel Green Power’s total awarded capacity, and we can see that Canadian Solar has also done rather well for itself, raking in 185 MW of the remaining 281 MW supposedly handed out through the auction.

The five projects will be developed in the municipality of Pirapora, which is located in northcentral Minas Gerais, and upon completion will supply electricity to a Brazilian Government utility entity under a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement, signed at Real$298.58/MWh, or approximately US$84/MWh.

“This win in Brazil demonstrates the strength of our global project development capabilities, and positions us well to become a solar energy leader in this important emerging market,” commented Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Solar. “Brazil has significant solar resources and a large energy market, which provides us with an opportunity to stablish our brand, take market share and deliver good results for our shareholders.”

Completion of the projects is expected to take place mid-2017.

September 3, 2015 0 comment

PV Solar Modules Solar PV Manufacturing

Largest Solar PV Manufacturing Facility In Brazil Now Up

by James Ayre August 30, 2015

written by James Ayre

The 180-megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing facility in Valinhos, São Paulo — now the largest such facility in the whole of Brazil — was recently inaugurated in a service put on by Globo Brazil.

With the completion of the quite large PV manufacturing facility, the country’s domestic solar PV project market should get a boost. With more locally made solar PV panels available, development costs should go down.

The new manufacturing facility is expected to be able to produce roughly 2,000 solar PV panels a day once at full capacity. The new facility has directly resulted in the creation of roughly 240 new permanent jobs, and a fair number of indirectly created jobs are expected to result as well.

An attorney for Globo Brazil, Flávio Manuel Coelho, commented: “The Brazilian energy matrix, fuelled mainly by hydroelectric and thermoelectric plants, is disabled and has an extremely high cost. Inserting a solar source will allow Brazilians to have access to energy at lower costs and with increasing security.”

A point well taken. The country is in the midst of a great many cascading problems caused by the ongoing drought, including issues with hydroelectric generation levels.

In related news, the Brazilian Energy Research Agency recently announced that it has approved 649 new potential solar energy projects (altogether totaling 20.9 gigawatts of potential capacity) to compete in the country’s upcoming Second Energy Reserve Auction, which is currently set to be held on November 13, 2015.

August 30, 2015 0 comment

PV Solar Policy Solar Projects

11+ GW Of Solar Projects Approved To Compete In Brazil Solar Auction

by James Ayre August 29, 2015

written by James Ayre

The current renewable energy auction (First Energy Reserve Auction), which took place yesterday, August 28, 2015, was a crowded one. It included the competition of more than 11.26 gigawatts (GW) of potential capacity, via 341 different projects. This followed the approval of this large number of applicants by the Brazilian authorities.

As noted by the Brazilian government’s Energy Research Agency (EPE), 125 of these projects (for over 4 GW of combined potential capacity) relate to the state of Bahia, while 61 (2 GW) relate to projects in the state of Piaui. The states of São Paulo, Pernambuco, and Grande do Norte all saw significant numbers of project proposals submitted for competition as well (over 1 GW each).

The Energy Research Agency’s president, Mauricio Tolmasquim, commented on the large number of potential projects thusly: “The large number of qualified projects predicts strong competition in the auction, which will benefit the customer.”

“Benefit the customer” — well one can certainly hope. With that said, though, a simpler way for consumers to benefit is to be given incentives to install their own solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, when possible. While this is of course not a monetary option for everyone, if one really wants to see the benefits of solar energy technology personally, then there’s no other real option (imo). Though perhaps community solar energy setups are a close runner-up (and the only good option in some circumstances)?

The upcoming Second Reserve Energy Auction is also seeing a significant amount of interest (as this first one is), with the Energy Research Agency registering 649 different proposals for the November 13, 2015, auction. Altogether, these projects total more than 20.9 GW of potential renewable energy capacity. Proposals concerning projects in the state of Bahia account for 6 GW of this figure, across 192 potential solar energy project.

We’ll see what comes of this most recent auction.

Image Credit: Charlie Phillips via Flickr

August 29, 2015 0 comment

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92 GW of Solar Annually by 2020, Apricum Predicts

by Adam Johnston August 12, 2015

written by Adam Johnston

Global solar installations will rise by to 2020 to 92 GW yearly, according to a new report from Apricum, compared to 42 GW annually in 2014.

The Berlin-based cleantech consulting firm said most of the 50 GW in annual increases from 2014 until 2020 will come from China, the US, and India, with 36 GW combined.

Image Credit: Queen of the Apostles Solar via Flickr Some Rights Reserved

The Middle East/North Africa/Africa (MENA) region will represent 6 GW, the rest of Asia 5.6 GW, the non-US Americas 4.1 GW, and Europe 3.5 GW.

However, Japan expects to see declines yearly (-5.2 GW) as it looks to slow its hot growth.

Apricum also notes cumulative installations will reach 604 GW, from 178 GW six years earlier.

In regards to cumulative installations, China will lead with 180 GW, followed by the US (83 GW), Japan (57 GW), Germany (46 GW), and India (41 GW). Concerns over air pollution and climate change will help China with its steady growth.

Meanwhile, the US will see continued growth as more regions hit socket parity and grid parity. Apricum predicts a good 2015, followed by a drop in utility-scale installations as the federal tax credit drops from 30% to 10%, due in 2017. However, strong rooftop demand, thanks to declining solar prices will continue to bolster US markets, Apricum suggests. Recent clean power legislation and Hillary Clinton’s plan of reaching 140 GW by 2020 may also have positive effects.

August 12, 2015 0 comment

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