Brazil added 4.4 GW of new solar capacity in the first quarter of 2026, continuing the country’s strong momentum in both utility-scale and distributed generation (DG) markets. Utility-scale projects accounted for 2.3 GW, while distributed solar contributed another 2.2 GW. If this pace continues throughout the year, Brazil could once again achieve double-digit annual solar growth.
In March alone, Brazil planned to connect 25 new utility-scale solar plants totaling 1,109 MW. However, despite the strong start, new large-scale grid connections supported by Brazil’s National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel) are expected to slow toward the end of the year.
By the end of Q1, Brazil had already added 2,295 MW of utility-scale solar capacity, moving steadily toward the country’s 2026 target of 4,704 MW. In recent years, most solar growth in Brazil has been driven by contracts in the free electricity market. This year, however, around one-quarter of new utility-scale capacity is expected to come from regulated market contracts, representing approximately 1,087 MW.
The distributed generation segment also maintained strong expansion. In Brazil, all PV systems below 5 MW are classified as DG projects. Between January and March 2026, the country added 2,177 MW of distributed solar capacity across more than 245,000 new systems. The average size of each small-scale installation reached 8.8 kW.
If current installation and grid-connection trends continue through the rest of 2026, Brazil’s distributed solar market could add 8.7 GW this year, while utility-scale solar may contribute another 4.7 GW. This would bring the country’s total annual solar expansion to around 13.4 GW, slightly exceeding earlier forecasts from Brazil’s solar association ABSolar, which initially projected around 10 GW of new capacity for the year.
Brazil’s solar industry has consistently recorded strong annual growth since 2022, with yearly additions often reaching 10 GW or more. At the same time, the market continues to face challenges including grid connection bottlenecks for both DG and utility-scale projects, as well as evolving regulatory policies.
Against this backdrop, industry participants are increasingly focusing on improving system efficiency, upgrading equipment, deploying battery energy storage systems (BESS), and expanding participation in the free electricity market as key strategies to support future growth.
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