BrazilUS consultancy ArcVera Renewables eyes Brazil with new office in São Paulo
ArcVera, a North American renewable energy consultancy, has set up shop in Brazil – marking the firm’s first bricks and mortar venture in Latin America.
ArcVera have had a presence on the continent since before the inception last year. Stretching back over seven years before V-Bar and Chinook Wind merged, the firm’s team of technical consultants were assisting renewable infrastructure projects throughout Brazil. Capitalising on the growth in wind and solar markets across the region, the firm’s entry into the Brazilian market shows a high level of confidence in the Latin renewable energy industry.
Latin America’s renewable energy market is roughly twice the global average – roughly 25% of Latin America’s energy comes from renewables. Whilst there is a large disparity between policy across the region, it is clear that there is a defined transition in place. This is particularly obvious when looking at hydro, which makes up the majority of the Latin America’s renewable energy supply.
Uptake of renewables across Latin America is only set to continue its pattern of growth. Whilst this is due to a number of factors, beyond policy shifts, the price of solar and wind, in combination with the efficiency of hydroelectric as a means of storage, is only becoming more viable. Brazil in general has the highest level of both hydro energy – at 29% of the energy supply – and renewable energy – at 6% – making it the obvious choice for ArcVera’s new office.
The consulting firm has worked on a number of projects throughout the country recently, having supported a project pipeline exceeding 17 GW of renewables into the Brazilian energy network.
Gregory Poulos, Chief Executive, and Principal Atmospheric Scientist at ArcVera Renewables believes the scale of the project places the firm as a core actor in the Brazilian renewable energy industry.
“At ArcVera Renewables, we like to think that our track record in the Brazilian market speaks for itself, and look forward to building our local relationships further as the industry goes from strength to strength,” commented Poulos. ArcVera’s team of renewable strategy consultants, atmospheric scientists, data analysts, and engineers have worked with many of the most notable projects throughout the country.
“In a thriving and competitive renewable energy market like Brazil, it’s fine project margins that decide the ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ – both when it comes to financing through the auction process, and when maintaining profitability over the long-term,” said John Bosche, President and Principal Engineer at ArcVera Renewables.
According to Bosche, the firm’s new office will allow ArcVera to capitalize on the upturn in the Brazilian market as the Brazilian economy returns to growth. The first auctions have taken place since the downturn in 2016 amid a lightening renewable business environment.
“In this climate, the value of accurate, independently validated resource data cannot be understated, nor can the importance of finding a trusted partner with the local market experience and technical expertise to back up project-critical financing, development, and operational decisions,” he concluded.
The firm has also recently announced that it’s success in Central America has prompted El Salvador to develop its first wind farm. Having consulted on the proposals and assessments for the first wind farms in Guatemala and Nicaragua, naturally ArcVera were brought in to do the same in El Salvador. Beyond Latin America, the consultancy has also advised and assisted projects throughout 19 states in the US as well as in Puerto Rico.
