Brazil’s first national-level auction sales of solar power have been pronounced a striking success, with developers selling regional electricity distributors 889.6 megawatts of future photovoltaic (PV) power capacity from a total of 31 planned solar-farm projects. The sales, made Oct. 31 at a government-organized auction of so-called reserve or supplementary power, represent a 20-fold expansion of Brazil’s fledgling commercial solar-PV sector, authorities and energy experts here say. Currently, solar electricity—for the most part generated by panels installed at individual homes and businesses—accounts for just 46 megawatts, or only 0.02% of Brazil’s generating capacity. But experts and government officials applauded the results of the auction, which the government orchestrated to encourage solar-power sales. “The volume of solar... [Log in to read more]