Solar in Latin America & The Caribbean 2013: Will Bragawatts Yield Gigawatts?

As the installed cost of solar continues to decline, markets with expensive wholesale and grid electricity prices are emerging as viable development opportunities, including Latin America and the Caribbean. In the past year, there has been a flurry of activity in Central and South America, and as of December 2012 more than 8.4 GW of large-scale projects had been announced, primarily in Chile. Net-metering in Mexico and Brazil also promises that there will be distributed markets as well.

Despite the significant number of project announcements in Latin America, to date, little grid-connected solar has been installed and the industry in these countries is primarily comprised of distributors serving the off-grid market. This lack of domestic competition is seen by developers and component manufacturers as an opportunity to be a first-mover in a markets with tremendous growth potential. While there are few pure-play solar companies operating in this markets, in every country there are incumbent firms that operate in a similar industry that could easily transition into the solar space. As some foreign entrants have already discovered, local knowledge has proven far more valuable than solar-specific experience when operating in these new markets.

This webinar will discuss at-length the market opportunities in Chile, Mexico, and Brazil as well as some smaller nations with renewable energy initiatives. Data presented will include current electricity market snapshots, favorable legislative initiatives, utility project pipelines, leading developers, and an overall market forecasts.