America's largest photovoltaic power plant connected to the grid in Brazil

The 1.2 GW Janaúba solar complex in Elera Renováveis was commissioned and connected to the grid this week. The facility consists of 20 solar parks covering 3,000 hectares.

Elera Renováveis inaugurated a 1.2 GW solar complex this week in Janaúba, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The project is the largest operating photovoltaic facility in the Americas. Prior to commissioning of the plant, the largest operating PV project in North and South America was the Villanueva project, consisting of the 427 MW Villanueva I and 327 MW Villanueva III installations in Coahuila, Mexico.
Elera Renováveis said it invested 4 billion reais ($819 million) in the Janaúba project, which will consist of 20 solar parks covering an area of about 3,000 hectares. The Brazilian renewable energy developer started construction in January 2021. In 2021, the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) approved financing of BRL 1.47 billion for the complex's 14 power stations, equivalent to 72% of the total planned investment of BRL 2.04 billion. The complex uses a tracking system from the American company Nextracker.
Janaúba, which has one of the highest concentrations of utility-scale solar projects among Brazilian municipalities, has posted a video clip on its YouTube channel showing the first images of the gigantic facility.