ABSOLAR and the CFF begin a collaboration for solar energy

São Paulo, October 2020 – The Brazilian Solar Photovoltaic Energy Association (ABSOLAR) and the C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on CFF projects in Brazil focused on solar PV projects in cities.

The CFF, a joint partnership led by C40 Cities and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Government of the United Kingdom, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project supports selected cities in the Global South through technical and financial support for the delivery of ambitious climate actions. In the current phase, the CFF has been supporting Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba on innovative solar energy projects. ABSOLAR, which represents and promotes the solar PV sector in Brazil, has been a key driver in the accelerated implementation of solar energy in Brazil, which in 2020 has become one of the top 20 countries in the world in solar PV installed capacity.

This partnership will allow ABSOLAR and CFF to combine their expertise and capabilities to support Brazilian municipalities not only to prepare specific solar PV projects, but also to formulate innovative policy mechanisms to facilitate both public and private use of solar energy. The two organizations will also co-organize events and workshops on the topic – driving the solar revolution across Brazil.

Rodrigo Sauaia, ABSOLAR’s CEO, highlights the importance of the partnership for the solar photovoltaic sector in Brazil. “We are very motivated to cooperate with C40 and GIZ in developing new solar PV programs and initiatives to enable municipalities, companies and citizens to use this competitive renewable technology to reduce costs, create new opportunities and support sustainability goals. Solar PV is definitely part of the solution to addressing the local and global challenges of climate change and a strategic tool to municipalities in Brazil and other countries”, he comments.

Manuel Olivera, C40 Regional Director for Latin America, highlights that this cooperation “is an important step to foment clean renewable energy in cities across Brazil and support them in meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while improving energy security, generating important savings and creating new green jobs". Dr. Günther Wehenpohl, Project Director of the GIZ Brazil Office, added that “the municipalities are the main beneficiaries of this MoU. GIZ, by the mandate of the German Government, already works with municipalities, supporting them to develop a sustainable agenda for urban infrastructure. With this cooperation, we will go further on the positive impact. Helping the municipalities to adhere to the solar Revolution”.

The projects in Curitiba and Rio de Janeiro focus on the installation of solar PV systems on retired landfills and in the case of Curitiba, on bus terminals as well. While such projects are more common in Europe and North America, these will be the first cases of solar PV systems on retired landfills in Latin America, an important breakthrough that both CFF and ABSOLAR hope to share and disseminate to other municipalities in Brazil and in the region.