Wind and solar supply more than one-third of Brazil’s electricity for first time

Wind and solar power provided 34% of Brazil’s electricity in August, the first month on record that the two renewable sources together have topped one-third of national generation, government data and analysis by energy think tank Ember show.

The two sources produced a monthly record of 19 terawatt-hours (TWh), enough to power roughly 119 million average Brazilian homes for a month, Ember told The Associated Press. The total surpassed the previous high of 18.6 TWh set in September 2024 and came as hydropower, historically Brazil’s dominant source, fell to a four-year low.

Hydropower accounted for 48% of electricity in August, marking only the second month on record in which it supplied less than half of the country’s power. Despite the weak hydro output, fossil-fuel plants — mainly running on natural gas, coal and oil — provided just 14% of generation, or about 7.8 TWh. That contrasts with past drought years when fossil fuels surged to cover shortfalls, reaching 26% of generation in August 2021.

"Brazil shows how a rapidly growing economy can meet its rising need for electricity with solar and wind," Raul Miranda, Ember’s global program director in Rio de Janeiro, said in a statement. "Solar and wind are a perfect match for Brazil’s hydropower resources, taking the pressure off in drought years. A diversified mix is a fundamental strategy for tackling risks related to climate change."

The expansion of wind and solar has reshaped Brazil’s power mix over the past five years. In 2024, wind and solar generated 24% of the country’s electricity, more than double their share from five years earlier. Solar climbed from just over 1% of generation in 2019 to 9.6% in 2024, while wind rose from 8.8% to 15% over the same period. Ember credited a roughly 15-fold increase in wind and solar generation with outpacing demand growth and cutting fossil generation by about 45%.

Brazil’s power-sector emissions peaked in 2014 and had fallen 31% by 2024 even as electricity demand rose 22%, Ember said. Analysts and industry figures said the recent record highlights both progress and the policy choices that will determine whether the trend continues.

Ricardo Baitelo, project coordinator at Brazil’s Institute for Energy and the Environment, said the milestone reflects more than a decade of steady growth in wind and solar capacity. "This is a number that was expected, because the installed capacity of these sources has been built over at least 15 years and, more recently, with solar energy," he said. Baitelo added that the development shows Brazil moving from an almost entirely hydro-based system to one built on three pillars: hydro, wind and solar. He noted that Brazil is the only G20 country currently on track to meet the renewable energy expansion goals set at the U.N. COP28 climate summit in Dubai in 2023.

Not all stakeholders hailed the shift without caveats. Paulo Pedrosa, president of Abrace Energia, which represents large energy consumers, warned that heavy reliance on subsidies to expand renewables — particularly residential solar — has created distortions in the power market. He said those subsidy models contributed to higher overall energy costs and, paradoxically, increased the need to contract expensive thermal energy to balance the system when wind and sun are scarce.

Baitelo also cautioned that without reforms, fossil-fuel interests could push to expand thermal generation in upcoming auctions, potentially boosting greenhouse gas emissions even as renewables grow. Policymakers face choices about market design, subsidy frameworks and auction rules that will influence whether the current gains translate into a sustained decline in fossil dependence.

Energy experts say the recent data underscore the role of a diversified electricity mix in coping with climate-driven variability in water resources and demand. The expanded role of wind and solar has so far helped Brazil mitigate the need for large, temporary increases in fossil-fuel generation during droughts, but analysts emphasized that maintaining the trajectory will require continued investment and policy oversight.

The Ember analysis and government numbers provide a near-term snapshot of a power system in transition, illustrating rapid capacity additions for wind and solar alongside persistent questions about market structure, subsidies and the pace of thermal capacity retirement or expansion.