The photovoltaic sector in Paraguay has high growth expectations following the update of the National Energy Policy, which includes more than 300 goals focused on diversifying the energy mix, including renewable energy generation projects and battery energy storage. So much so that some companies in the sector are already considering expanding their operations, both nationally and regionally, to keep pace with the expected growth. One of these is Heliotec, a pioneering solar technology company in Paraguay that offers a wide variety of solar systems, from lighting and industrial heating to water heating, as well as the first on-grid and energy efficiency systems with batteries in the country. "Within grid-connected systems, we hold approximately 60-70% of the total market."
"And the idea is to continue being pioneers in electrical engineering; we seek to provide impactful solutions, and for that reason, we guide the type of systems that are installed," said Pablo Zuccolillo , CEO of Heliotec, in an exclusive interview with Energía Estratégica. "The idea is to form a five-star team from across the region to develop in Paraguay and neighboring countries."
We want to start manufacturing the largest possible number of components for a solar system in Paraguay.
“We’ve already manufactured the mounting brackets, we’ve begun testing the inverters, and the machinery to manufacture lithium batteries in the country will arrive between January and February 2025,” he added during Energy Week, organized by OLADE. It’s worth noting that Paraguay’s updated Energy Policy anticipates a centralized photovoltaic capacity of 500 MW by 2030 and 2,000 MW by 2050; an additional 1,104 GWh of battery storage per year by 2030 and 5,520 GWh per year by 2040.
Paraguay's private sector envisions the Chaco Central photovoltaic tender for 2025Financing these projects will be a key factor, and therefore the government will seek to support five renewable energy projects by 2028, with a gradual increase to a total of 20 projects by 2050. Regarding distributed generation and self-supply, the goal is to reach 500 MW of installed capacity by 2040. The document also proposes the implementation of solar water heating projects in the public sector, covering all major hospitals in the metropolitan area by 2035 and extending this to clinics throughout the country by 2045. International Expansion: Heliotec's CEO acknowledged that the company is focused on other markets in the region and is therefore looking to expand its reach and acquire more partners to develop the industry in other Latin American countries. "One market segment we are particularly interested in is off-grid energy in Argentina and the use of lithium batteries, given that many people are asking us for solar systems and hybrid solutions," Zuccolillo stated.