Despite global overcapacity, several factors may contribute to a slight increase in solar panel prices in Brazil, with shipping costs and quotas for fiscal exemptions on imported PV modules playing a key role.

The BRL 950 million ($175 million) São João do Paracatu solar park in Minas Gerais employs 500,000 solar modules distributed over an area of ​​509 hectares and counts clients in the areas of mining, magnesium industrialization and plastic production and recycling.

Livoltek says it has invested $13.2 million in a new inverter factory in Brazil. The facility will also produce soon lithium-ion batteries and electric-vehicle rechargers.

Developer Loop Energia has built a 1.2 MW offgrid solar plant that now serves a center-pivot irrigation system in the Brazilian state of Bahia. The project reportedly enables local farmers to double soybean harvesting by achieving considerable savings through significantly lower diesel consumption.

Heavy rains recently triggered floods in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state when Lake Guaíba and the Taquari River and Uruguay River overflowed, reaching more than 5.30 meters and affecting more than 1.95 million people. The death toll stands at 143, with 125 still missing. The authorities still have yet to assess the losses from submerged or affected PV plants.

Brazilian conglomerate Intelbras says its new storage solution consists of one or more batteries that can be connected in parallel, with up to 10 units. It reportedly has a useful lifespan of more than eight years.

Prof. Ricardo Rüther, the coordinator of the Strategic Solar Energy Research Group at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), installed a solar energy system at the university 26 years ago. It currently operates at about 80% of its nominal power.

A Brazilian engineer on Instagram, always wearing a mask, has become a sensation in the Brazilian solar industry, attracting 12 sponsors with a mission to educate companies and consumers about common errors to avoid in rooftop PV installations.