🕒 Last updated on September 12, 2025
Brazil has achieved a remarkable milestone in August 2025. For the first time ever, wind and solar energy together generated more than one-third of the country’s electricity.
A record-breaking month for clean energy
Their combined share reached 34%, producing 19.0 terawatt hours (TWh) of power in just one month. This broke the previous record of 18.6 TWh, set in September 2024.
This achievement shows how quickly Brazil has embraced clean energy. Only a few years ago, these technologies played a much smaller role in the electricity system. In August 2020, wind supplied 15% of Brazil’s power, and solar made up only 2.2%. By August 2025, these shares had climbed to 21% for wind and 13% for solar. The growth has been especially fast for solar, which expanded sixfold in just five years.
Looking at the bigger picture, clean energy has transformed the country’s power supply across the entire year. In 2019, wind and solar together made up less than 10% of electricity generation. By 2024, their share had jumped to 24%. Solar alone grew from just over 1% in 2019 to nearly 10% in 2024, while wind nearly doubled its contribution during the same time.
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Hydropower’s changing role
Even with this rapid clean energy expansion, hydropower remains the single largest source of electricity in Brazil. In August 2025, it provided 48% of the nation’s electricity. However, this was only the second month in history when hydro dropped below half of the total supply. Hydro generation was 27 TWh, the lowest level for an August since 2021. Low rainfall during the dry season reduced output, adding strain to the system.
Hydropower has been the backbone of Brazil’s electricity system for decades. But as demand keeps rising and hydro capacity stays mostly unchanged, its share of the energy mix has slowly declined. Importantly, Hydro’s role has also evolved. Instead of always serving as the main load provider, hydro plants now adjust their output to balance the ups and downs of wind and solar power. This flexibility allows the system to better integrate renewable energy.
Higher levels of wind and solar also help protect hydro resources during droughts. By generating more power when conditions are right, these clean sources allow hydro plants to conserve water in their reservoirs. This makes the system more resilient and prevents shortages during dry seasons.
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Fossil fuel use kept low despite weak hydro
One of the biggest benefits of wind and solar growth has been the reduction in fossil fuel dependence. Even with weak hydro output in August 2025, fossil generation made up just 14% of electricity supply, totaling 7.8 TWh. This is a dramatic improvement compared to earlier drought years. In August 2021, for example, fossil fuel use spiked to 26% of the total, reaching 13 TWh.
The reason is clear: the rapid expansion of wind and solar has filled the gap left by declining hydro. This has kept fossil fuel demand low and avoided costly spikes in coal and gas use.
Over the past decade, clean energy growth has not only matched but even exceeded the rise in electricity demand. From 2014 to 2024, wind and solar generation in Brazil grew by 168 TWh. This was enough to cover the 137 TWh increase in demand over the same period. As a result, fossil fuel generation actually fell by 64 TWh, cutting power sector emissions by nearly one-third. In 2014, emissions were at 114 million tonnes of CO₂.. By 2024, they had fallen to 79 million tonnes.
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Brazil’s experience shows how diversifying energy sources strengthens the system. With more clean power in the mix, the country has managed to grow its economy, meet rising electricity demand, and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels—all at the same time.