Brazil Leads Among G20 Countries With Higher RE Capacity: EMBER

Brazil has made recent advancements in increasing renewable energy in the total energy mix. According to the data shared by EMBER, the country powered 89% of electricity in 2023 from wind and solar. This solidified Brazil’s position as one of the leading G20 countries in renewable electricity generation in South America.

The report found that this has ensured that Brazil has met its growing electricity demand over the past decade with renewables. Thus, it’s estimated to reduce power sector emissions. The report accredits Brazil’s success in reaching such a high share of renewables to its robust hydroelectric base and the rapid expansion of solar and wind power in recent years. According to research, the share of hydro has fluctuated from year to year over the past decade amid varying weather conditions. It currently stands at 60% of Brazil’s electricity in 2023 compared to 63% on average since 2013.

 

The EMBER report compared and found an increase in the share of wind and solar to reach 21% in 2023, thereby, witnessing a four-percentage point increase from 17% in 2022, and up from just 5.8% in 2016. The study found a growth in Brazil’s solar generation which increased by 72% from 30 TWh in 2022 to 52 TWh in 2023. It’s expected to provide 7.3% of Brazil’s electricity last year. In the latest monthly data, the country shows strong growth this year with an increase in solar generation from January to May 2024 by 68% than in the same months in 2023.

Therefore, Brazil’s solar share surged beyond that of other G20 countries, especially, during the 12 months from March 2023 to April 2024. During this period, solar reportedly generated 9.1% of Brazil’s electricity, noticeably higher than the G20 average (6.4%).

 

The increase in renewable energy share and at the same time a drop in hydro production which has been the backbone of Brazil’s power sector and an associated increase in wind and solar boom has been reversing this. Thus, positioning Brazil as an emerging global renewables powerhouse.

Over the nine years since Brazil’s 2014 emissions peak, wind and solar generation has increased by 135 TWh, 10% more than the country’s total electricity demand (+123 TWh), thus contributing to falling fossil generation (-76 TWh). Brazil enabled this by being an early wind and solar adopter, with auctions for projects starting in the mid-2000s and by introducing other supportive policies such as net metering.