A recent report from Greener, a Brazilian consultancy, showed that Brazil imported 4.76 gigawatts (GW) of solar PV module capacity last year. Domestic photovoltaic (PV) module producers had a minor 3.8% market share, with approximately 190 megawatts (MW) of the year’s shipped modules.
Greener also noted that prices for distributed generation PV systems rose by 20% in 2020. Demand for PV modules reached 4,950 MW in 2020 and panel imports totaled 4,760 MW. Domestic products accounted for 190 MW.
Compared with 2019, these numbers show that demand for renewables is on the rise in Brazil. In 2019, module imports reached 4,134 MW and domestic products totaled 139 MW.
Greener also revealed that around 32% of the shipped modules included monocrystalline PERC cell technology. Last year’s percentage showed that being less than 10%. Polycrystalline PERC panels managed to reach a 24% share. Standard mono and polycrystalline solar modules reached 24% and 20%.
The top three solar module providers were Canadian Solar, Trina Solar, and Risen. Canadian Solar had shipments of 926 MW, Trina Solar’s shipments were 824 MW, and Risen’s were 797 MW. Canadian Solar’s rise to dominance in Brazil could also be helped by the fact that it owns and operates a solar module factory in São Paulo.
With regards to product financing, modules that are manufactured locally benefit from low interest rates from Brazil’s development banks. BYD also operates a panel manufacturing facility in Brazil, and it was the fifth-largest provider in the country, with 526 MW of shipped modules.
Featured image courtesy Greener.
