Photovoltaic Generation in the Paraná State, Brazil - An Analysis of the Productive Potential

The Paraná State of Brazil has been one of the largest producers of electricity in the country, almost entirely from hydraulic source, due to the large existing river basin in the state. However, the use of this source in Brazil is declining due to depletion of water potential and also the pressure of society with respect to environmental, social and economic impacts caused by damming of rivers and flooding of cities and areas to form large reservoirs. Photovoltaic generation has been contemplated in Brazilian government policies only to supply electricity with off-grid systems in remote locations. However, due to the recent Resolution 482/2012 of ANEEL (Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency), which establishes rules for micro and mini- generation of electricity, it is possible that consumers install grid connected photovoltaic systems up to 1 MWp, as have been widely used in the urban environment installed or integrated on roofs as a form of distributed generation, particularly in Europe, where counts with installed capacity in GW range, while in Brazil it counts only with a few MW. Given this new perspective of growth of the Brazilian photovoltaic electricity generation this paper presents the potential of solar photovoltaic power generation in Paraná State, Brazil. The presented irradiation data were obtained from SWERA project (Solar and Wind Energy Resources Assessment), which was coordinated in Brazil by National Institute for Space Research (INPE). The results of this analysis can contribute to development of public policies related to projects and researches in photovoltaic systems aiming to spread the use of this renewable energy source in Paraná.