HISTORY OF SOLAR ENERGY RESEARCH IN BRAZIL

Brazil has large, unelectrified, geographic regions with very high insolation throughout the year. Development of solar energy research in Brazil evolved through establishment of well-equipped laboratories, spread of post-graduate education and basic research during 1958-72, intense applied research on solar thermal viz. collectors, refrigeration, furnaces, cookers, driers, and distillation; and photovoltaics viz. c-Si solar cells, Cu2S, CIGS, CdTe and a-Si:H thin-film solar cells and module manufacturing during 1973-83 and again after 1994 with higher emphasis on field-deployment of photovoltaic (PV) systems during the last few years. The boost provided by the recent expansion of research, development and industrialization and emphasis on universalization of energy through rural electrification point towards a bright future for solar energy research and applications in Brazil