Brazil generates 88% of power from renewables in 2024

Brazil’s electricity mix was 88% renewable in 2024, with wind and solar supplying about 24% of total demand, according to new data from state-owned energy agency Empresa de Pesquisa Energetica (EPE).

From pv magazine Brazil

Renewable sources supplied 88.2% of Brazil’s electricity demand in 2024, with wind and solar covering 24% of the total, according to state energy agency EPE.

The data comes from the Summary Report of the National Energy Balance 2025, which uses 2024 as its base year.

Among key findings on supply and consumption, the report noted that Brazil’s micro and mini distributed solar generation reached 41,006 GWh in 2024, accounting for 5.6% of total electricity production.

The broader energy mix, which includes fuels, reached 50% renewable last year – its highest level since 1989 – driven by steady hydro and sugarcane biomass supply, alongside growth in black liquor, biodiesel, wind, and solar.

The report also includes an analysis of consumption by sector. Industrial energy use rose 1.4% year on year, led by a 4.1% increase in electricity use, which overtook sugarcane bagasse as the sector’s primary energy source. Industrial consumption of coal and derivatives rose 3.5%, and firewood and charcoal by 2.1%, while fuel oil use dropped 17.4%. Renewable sources accounted for 64.4% of total industrial energy consumption.

In transport, renewable energy use grew 2.7% to reach 25.7% in 2024, mainly due to a 30.1% rise in hydrated ethanol consumption and a 19.3% increase in biodiesel.

The report also noted a 2.8% year-on-year rise in national ethanol production, with corn-based ethanol making up 20% of total output.

For the first time, the report included electricity consumption by electrified vehicles. In 2024, Brazil recorded 215,300 licensed units and 309 GWh in associated power demand.

Brazil’s installed solar capacity has reached 55 GW, according to new data from the Brazilian Solar Energy Association (ABSolar). At the end of December, cumulative PV capacity stood at 52 GW, with roughly 3 GW added so far this year.

Solar now accounts for 22.2% of Brazil’s total installed electricity capacity, making it the country’s second-largest power source.