Brazil’s commitment to clean energy continues to yield impressive results, with renewable sources supplying a remarkable 88.2% of the nation’s electricity demand in 2024. This significant achievement was highlighted in the Summary Report of the National Energy Balance 2025, released by the state energy agency EPE.
One of the standout developments was the continued growth of solar energy. Brazil’s micro and mini distributed solar systems generated 41,006 GWh in 2024, making up 5.6% of the country’s electricity production. Overall, solar power now represents 22.2% of Brazil’s total installed electricity capacity, becoming the country’s second-largest energy source, according to the Brazilian Solar Energy Association (ABSolar). Installed solar capacity reached 55 GW, with 3 GW added in the first part of this year.
Looking at the broader energy mix — which includes fuels in addition to electricity — renewables made up 50% of the country’s energy use in 2024, the highest share since 1989. This milestone was reached thanks to consistent contributions from hydroelectric plants and sugarcane biomass, as well as increased use of black liquor, biodiesel, wind, and solar power.
The report also analyzed how different sectors are using energy. In the industrial sector, energy use grew 1.4% from the previous year. Electricity use rose by 4.1%, surpassing sugarcane bagasse as the top energy source for the sector. There were also increases in the use of coal (up 3.5%) and firewood and charcoal (up 2.1%), while fuel oil usage dropped by 17.4%. Renewables made up 64.4% of industrial energy use.
In the transport sector, renewable energy use climbed 2.7% to reach 25.7% of total transport energy, mainly driven by a 30.1% rise in the use of hydrated ethanol and a 19.3% increase in biodiesel.
National ethanol production rose 2.8% compared to the previous year, with ethanol made from corn accounting for 20% of the total output.
For the first time, the energy report included data on electricity consumption by electric vehicles. In 2024, Brazil registered 215,300 licensed electrified vehicles, with their electricity use totaling 309 GWh.
