No solar PV (Photovoltaic), CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) awarded in Brazil’s A-5 auction

The average price for projects awarded was USD 0.0472/kWh, below the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) or concentrating solar power (CSP) plants

Brazilian national utility EPE did not select a single solar energy project among the 119 projects totaling 3.5 GW of capacity awarded in its A-5/2013 energy auction. Wind energy represented the majority of winning projects, with 97 projects representing 2.34 GW of capacity approved.

The average price for projects awarded was USD 0.0472/kWh, below the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) or concentrating solar power (CSP) plants, however 16 small hydroelectric projects came in at an average of USD 0.059/kWh.

88 PV projects totaling 2.02 GW and seven concentrated solar thermal power projects representing 210 MW were among the 21.1 GW registered in the auction, which indicates strong interest in solar by developers.

Lack of solar disappointing but not surprising

The A-5/2013 auction is for projects to be completed by 2018. The nation also did not award any PV or CSP projects in its A-3 auction held in November 2013.

Analyst Adam James of Greentech Media Research (Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.) described the lack of solar awarded in the A-3 auction as