Porto Alegre, October 30, 2025: The distributed generation segment of Southern Brazil’s solar energy market is coming of age. This translates to less explosive growth and greater stability, marked by technically robust projects. As the second edition of Intersolar Summit Brasil Sul closed at the Centro de Eventos FIERGS, this was the assessment of one of the leading experts on solar energy in Europe and Latin America, Dr Florian Wessendorf, CEO of the German company Solar Promotion International GmbH.
He and a team of specialist professionals gathered in Porto Alegre in partnership with São Paulo’s Aranda Eventos and Congressos confidently concluded that the solar energy market is developing soundly in both urban and rural areas of the three southern Brazilian states. This is evidenced by the high professional level reached by EPCs (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction), the increasing integration of energy storage and management systems, and the significant presence of skilled labour at every stage of installation and maintenance.
Setting aside the contentious issues within the Brazilian context, such as taxation, risks of grid overload, inadequate infrastructure, and the power struggle between national electricity distributors and distributed generation, the 2025 event in Porto Alegre delivered innovation, data, and future insights for its more than 1,500 participants and 40 exhibiting companies. It was no surprise that the Northeast regional edition of Intersolar Brasil was announced to those present: it will be held in Fortaleza, Ceará, on April 28–29, 2026.
The theme “Electrical installations with solar energy”, for example, sparked lively debate by one of the conference panels. Electrical engineer João Cunha, director of Miomega Engenharia, raised a pertinent question: “Does the market drive the standards, or do the standards drive the market?” He recalled that the RCD (Residual Current Device) was an example of a safety component that came into use following a 1997 standard. Photovoltaic installations, however, arrived in Brazil before any standardisation. Cunha lamented that “in Brazil, standards are only followed when they are mandatory.” As a member of the committee drafting new industry standards, he said that the upcoming changes merely serve to clarify what is already the rule, and this type of question only emerges once the market has matured and recognises that solar energy is a good that has come to stay.”
For the Executive President of the Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy (Absolar), Rodrigo Sauaia, meetings like Intersolar Brasil Sul or Nordeste, as well as the event in São Paulo, are catalysts for ensuring the subject remains current and accessible to those who wish to understand, invest in, and consume solar energy. The time for change is now. “We constantly hear that Brazil has tremendous photovoltaic potential. The time has come to let technological innovation truly flourish and drive the country’s development forward,” he declared.
The data presented by Sauaia showed that, over the past 13 years, solar energy has brought R$ 277.3 billion in new investments to Brazil and generated nearly two million jobs — and it continues to deliver growth. “There are 61.8 gigawatts of photovoltaic solar energy, representing 24% of the national electricity supply. It is the second-largest source in Brazil, behind only hydroelectric power. Last year alone, approximately 450,000 new jobs were created by the solar industry, which also helped to prevent 96 million tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere,” he highlighted.
In the Southern region, the picture differs from that of the Northeast, but is equally significant. “The state of Paraná leads the South, ranking third nationally with 3.8 gigawatts. Rio Grande do Sul is currently in fourth place, with 3.5 gigawatts, and Santa Catarina is eleventh in the ranking with 1.5 gigawatts in operation,” he pointed out, also drawing attention to some bottlenecks. These include the reversal of power flow from small-scale solar generation, highlighting a risk of unfavourable changes in the legal and regulatory framework. “We need greater oversight of distributors and of competition, to ensure a more level playing field between small and large businesses. Also, we need to calculate the benefits and costs of distributed generation, which is required by law. This needs to be carried out by the national electricity agency,” he detailed. Another issue raised was the curtailment of generation at large-scale power plants. “This has imposed severe losses on large-scale solar plants, which is incompatible with the investments made and the rules that were in place when these plants were built. We have been closely monitoring these issues with the federal government, ANEEL, and the National Congress, to try and resolve these bottlenecks for the market and our industry,” he added.
Finally, the CEO of Solar Promotion International believes that a phase of moderate growth is expected in the short term (2025-2026), rather than an explosive expansion. Many new installations will come from the distributed generation and commercial segments; utility-scale generation may face difficulties due to connection delays and grid costs. Challenges relating to tariffs, supply chains, and regulation will be priorities. “In the medium term (2027-2030), if grid infrastructure is improved, storage is scaled up, and regulation stabilises, growth could accelerate. The market could enter a consolidation phase, with more complex business models, service ecosystems, and local production,” he believes.
Stay tuned: Intersolar Brasil 2026, in its regional versions, will begin in Fortaleza, Ceará, on April 28–29. For more information, please visit: www.intersolar-brasil.com/nordeste
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Contact
Gioia Müller-Russo
Solar Promotion International GmbH
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