Solar Energy is Booming in Latin America
LatAm's solar capacity grew 100x in a decade, topping 20 GW in 2020.
Tourists are not the only ones taking advantage of Latin America’s precious sunlight due to its tropical latitudes. During the last few years, demand for solar panels in the region has skyrocketed as panel prices decrease and efficiency increases.
The solar industry in the region is dominated by three countries: Brazil, Mexico, and Chile. In 2020, they accounted for more than 80% of the region’s solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity. Brazil’s installed capacity is expected to reach 10 GW by 2024, and Mexico finds itself on a very similar track. Similarly, as of last year, 4 GW installations were under development in Chile, with more authorized projects that will bring its PV capacity to 22 GW. Installed solar photovoltaic capacity in the region has grown about a hundredfold in little under a decade, topping 20 gigawatts in 2020.
While these three nations now dominate the industry, Latin America still has a lot of untapped potential: Argentina’s solar capacity quadrupled between 2018 and 2020, and Colombia is developing projects with a total PV capacity of 400 MW.