[Solar: Brazil adds 4.4GW of solar capacity in Q1 2026]

Published: May 18, 2026 14:51

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Brazil added 4.4GW of solar capacity in the first quarter of 2026, including 2.3GW from utility-scale projects and 2.2GW from distributed generation. In March, the country planned to connect 25 utility-scale solar plants totaling around 1.1GW, although new centralized connections are expected to slow toward the end of the year. If the first-quarter connection pace continues, Brazil could add 8.7GW of distributed solar and 4.7GW of utility-scale solar in 2026, bringing total annual additions to around 13.4GW, above ABsolar’s earlier forecast of about 10GW. SMM believes grid connection constraints, regulatory changes and rising curtailment pressure will remain key challenges, while storage, energy efficiency upgrades and migration to the free energy market could help sustain sector growth.

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