The solar PV revolution in Brazil: How cities can take advantage

Brazil has the potential to become a global leader in the use of solar PV. Hours and intensity of sunshine are high throughout the country, prices have plummeted in recent years, and legislation regulating on-grid distributed generation has been in place since 2012. These factors have contributed to an exponential adoption of this technology in Brazil. Municipalities in Brazil are beginning to appreciate the many benefits of developing solar PV projects. Besides savings in electricity costs, new jobs and a potential boost to any administration’s public image, solar PV can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by offsetting the use of non-renewable sources, such as oil and gas.

These reports present an overview of the current situation of solar PV in Brazil, covering the technology’s socioeconomic, environmental, and strategic benefits. These describe how municipalities can evaluate different business models for the deployment of solar PV and provide a step-by-step guide on how to plan and develop PV projects, including legislation, governance, and technical aspects.

In order to provide city managers, decision-makers, and public servants with information that will be useful to plan, design, fund, and implement solar PV systems, the following aspects are covered:

• Current status of PV in Brazil
• Benefits of PV for municipalities
• Laws and regulations of the PV sector in Brazil
• Business models that can be adopted by Brazilian municipalities
• Governance and initial planning of municipal PV projects
• Technical and economic feasibility assessments
• Procurement
• Financing ad funding
• Step-by-step guide to design and develop PV systems
• Success cases from Brazil

This report is also available in Portuguese.