Brazilian programs boost solar and batteries with US$2.1bn
Two federal programs in the Brazilian electricity sector are stimulating the solar energy and battery market, with investments on the order of 11 billion reais (US$2.1bn).
One of them is the Luz para Todos Program (LPT), relaunched by the government in 2023 with the goal of universalizing access to electricity in rural and remote areas, especially in the Amazon region, by 2028.
The investments approved for the LPT in 2026 total 6bn reais. The funds prioritize the extension of the conventional power grid and the implementation of kits with solar panels and batteries, where grid expansion is unfeasible.
“This approach brings clean, continuous energy to riverside, indigenous and isolated communities,” the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) told BNamericas via its press office.
Of the total capex, 2.63bn reais are allocated to serving 124,744 new consumer units in remote and rural areas, in addition to the 3.4bn reais already committed to the implementation of the program.
The estimate is that 32,850 new connections will be made in the Legal Amazon. Pará leads in the allocation of funds, with a forecast of more than 1.1bn reais due to the logistical challenges of bringing electricity to the state.
In addition to Pará, the LPT operates in the following states: Acre, Amazonas, Amapá, Bahia, Ceará, Goiás, Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraíba, Piauí, Rio de Janeiro, Rondônia, Roraima, and Tocantins.
Another ongoing initiative is the Amazon Energy Program, which provides for an investment of 5bn reais in the period from 2023 to 2027, with the aim of expanding access to clean and sustainable energy in the region.
The resources are being directed to initiatives such as system interconnections, hybridization projects, and ventures originating from energy auctions. The actions include the implementation of generation equipment from renewable sources, such as photovoltaic systems and energy storage solutions.
“As a result, there is a significant reduction in diesel use, contributing directly to decarbonization and to the energy transition in the Amazon,” stated the MME.
In 2025, an auction was held for isolated systems that contracted 50MW of capacity, with investment of 312 million reais. Among the technological solutions of the winning projects are hybrid plants, combining diesel, natural gas or biofuel thermal sources with solar and energy storage.
Also last year, the government contracted 14 projects with total capex of 829mn reais to serve 14 locations in the Amazon with solar power and batteries.
In addition, 13 locations were connected to the national interconnected system (SIN), including the state of Roraima, through the Tucuruí Transmission Line.
Cooperation
In March, the MME and the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA) signed a technical cooperation agreement within the scope of the LPT and the Energias da Amazônia program to expand the energy infrastructure in conservation units in the Amazon and surrounding areas.
With a five-year term, the agreement establishes joint action focused on the sustainable development of the Amazon, promoting income generation, social inclusion, and forest protection, with a leading role for the traditional populations that live in these territories.
(The original version of this content was written in Portuguese)