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Essencial: Cartographic feed · Sheet 7 of 12

Thematic maps of Brazil, in weekly collections. Each plate comes with its layers, a declared projection and a citation with a DOI.

No. 044 Energy · biomass Electricity in Brazil 3/3

Distributed solar generation

The sun that lives on the rooftops

Fig. 044 Brazil EPSG:4674 Source: ANEEL, IBGE, Natural Earth

There are 4.67 million photovoltaic systems in 5,567 municipalities: panels on the roofs of homes, shops and smallholdings, and small plants of up to 5 MW that cut their owners’ electricity bills. They add up to 53.8 GW, 265 W per inhabitant, 52% of it in homes. Rooftop sun is strongest in the Centre-West and western Paraná: Mato Grosso has 872 W per inhabitant, and Foz do Iguaçu, with 1,408 W, leads among towns of more than 100,000 people. São Paulo has the largest capacity, 7.6 GW, but only 170 W per inhabitant; Taboão da Serra stands at 11 W. At the other extreme, the 20.6 MW of Santa Clara d’Oeste give 7,939 W to each of its 2,598 residents. Last plate of the collection “Electricity in Brazil”.

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At a glance

Solar capacity in distributed generation

54 GW

4,665,874 systems, 265 W per inhabitant

Capacity by consumer class (GW) (GW)
  • Residencial 52.3%
  • Comercial 26.6%
  • Rural 12.4%
  • Industrial 6.8%
  • Poder público 1.2%
  • Outras 0.8%
Watts per inhabitant, the five highest and five lowest states (W)
  • MT 872
  • MS 700
  • PR 600
  • TO 503
  • RO 492
  • PB 165
  • MA 164
  • SE 144
  • RJ 128
  • AM 115

Layers

  • municipios polygon 5,571 municipalities: population, number of solar systems, total capacity, by size, residential and remote self-consumption (kW), units receiving credit, watts per inhabitant and class
  • ufs polygon 27 states
  • limite_nacional polygon National boundary

Metadata

Extent
Brazil
CRS / Projection
SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software
Python · pandas · GeoPandas · GDAL · QGIS · Node.js · d3-geo
Method
Capacity of photovoltaic micro- and mini-generation systems summed by municipality, divided by the 2022 Census population and grouped into seven classes of watts per inhabitant.
Version
v1.0.0
Licence
CC BY 4.0

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The map without a frame, with legend, scale, reference system and credit written on it: ready for papers, lectures and slides. In two versions: with the basemap (neighbours and sea) or only the mapped area, on white.

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How to cite

Cerejo, L. N. (2026). Geração solar distribuída: o sol que mora nos telhados [Distributed solar generation: The sun that lives on the rooftops] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539656

No. 043 Energy · biomass Electricity in Brazil 2/3

Power plants by source

Water, wind, sun and fire

Fig. 043 Brazil EPSG:4674 Source: ANEEL, IBGE, Natural Earth

Belo Monte, on the Xingu, has 11,233 MW of licensed capacity: it is the largest of the 16,118 power plants registered with ANEEL, operating or under construction. Water still dominates: large and small hydro add up to 58.8% of the 184 GW in operation. In the smaller circles, the map tells other stories. The wind lines up 89% of the 993 wind farms in the North-East; sugarcane bagasse fires 427 of the 627 biomass power stations, 237 of them in São Paulo; and Angra 3 is still being built beside the other two. Of the 11,391 solar plants, 10,941 are under 5 kW: individual systems registered one by one by the distribution companies, nearly all in Pará and in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul. Second plate of the collection “Electricity in Brazil”.

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At a glance

Operating mix, by licensed capacity (GW) (GW)
  • Hidrelétrica (UHE) 55.5%
  • Pequena central hidrelétrica 3.2%
  • Eólica 11.9%
  • Solar fotovoltaica 2.9%
  • Termelétrica a biomassa 9.1%
  • Termelétrica fóssil 16.3%
  • Termonuclear 1.1%
Belo Monte, the largest registered plant

11,233 MW

followed by Tucuruí (8,535 MW) and the Brazilian share of Itaipu (7,000 MW)

Layers

  • usinas point 16,118 power plants: source, fuel, phase, licensed and inspected capacity (kW), start of operations, owner and state
  • ufs polygon 27 states
  • limite_nacional polygon National boundary

Metadata

Extent
Brazil
CRS / Projection
SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software
Python · GeoPandas · GDAL · QGIS · Node.js · d3-geo
Method
SIGA power plants operating and under construction, grouped into seven sources, with circles whose area is proportional to licensed capacity.
Version
v1.0.0
Licence
CC BY 4.0

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The map without a frame, with legend, scale, reference system and credit written on it: ready for papers, lectures and slides. In two versions: with the basemap (neighbours and sea) or only the mapped area, on white.

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How to cite

Cerejo, L. N. (2026). Usinas por fonte: água, vento, sol e fogo [Power plants by source: Water, wind, sun and fire] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539628

No. 042 Energy · biomass Electricity in Brazil 1/3

Transmission lines

The wires that stitch the country together

Fig. 042 Brazil EPSG:4674 Source: EPE, IBGE, Natural Earth

From the Xingu to Rio de Janeiro, an 800 kV direct-current line runs 2,552 km to carry Belo Monte’s power to the South-East: it is the longest of the 1,712 existing transmission lines mapped by EPE. Adding up circuits, they come to 170.2 thousand km of lines and 780 substations. Lines of 500 to 765 kV make up most of the length, 68.0 thousand km; the eleven direct-current lines, 19.5 thousand km, bring the power of Itaipu, the Madeira plants and Belo Monte to the South-East. On the map, the grid thickens in the South-East, the South and along the north-eastern coast, and reaches the Amazon through a handful of wires. First plate of the collection “Electricity in Brazil”.

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At a glance

Length by voltage class (thousand km, adding up circuits) (mil km)
  • até 230 kV 66
  • 345 e 440 kV 17
  • 500 a 765 kV 68
  • 600 e 800 kV, corrente contínua 20
The longest line: Xingu – Terminal Rio, 800 kV direct current

2,552 km

in service since 2019

Layers

  • linhas_transmissao line 1,712 lines: voltage, length, year in service, concession holder and voltage class
  • subestacoes point 780 substations: voltages, year in service, concession holder and state
  • ufs polygon 27 states
  • limite_nacional polygon National boundary

Metadata

Extent
Brazil
CRS / Projection
SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software
Python · GeoPandas · GDAL · QGIS · Node.js · d3-geo
Method
EPE’s existing transmission lines and substations, grouped into four voltage classes; length as declared by EPE and checked against the geodesic measurement.
Version
v1.0.0
Licence
CC BY 4.0

Downloads

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The map without a frame, with legend, scale, reference system and credit written on it: ready for papers, lectures and slides. In two versions: with the basemap (neighbours and sea) or only the mapped area, on white.

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How to cite

Cerejo, L. N. (2026). Linhas de transmissão: os fios que costuram o país [Transmission lines: The wires that stitch the country together] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539594

No. 041 Elevation · relief The relief of São Paulo 3/3

The cuestas of São Paulo

The basalt step

Fig. 041 Central São Paulo state, between Jaú, São Carlos, Piracicaba and Botucatu (SP) EPSG:4674 Source: Copernicus DEM GLO-90 (ESA, European Union), digital surface model, 90 m pixels, WWF / HydroSHEDS, IBGE

In the middle of the state, the western São Paulo plateau ends in a step: the cuestas, scarps where the layers of basalt and sandstone break off all at once, facing the Peripheral Depression. Profile A–B leaves the depression near São Pedro, at 500 m, rises to a first plateau at 956 m, dips into a valley at 537 m and climbs the Itirapina cuesta: 543 m of climb in 5 km, up to 1,081 m. On the far side, the ground falls to the Corumbataí valley, at around 640 m. The highest point in the frame, 1,084 m, is right there, in Itirapina; between it and the lowest point lie 671 m. In the south-west, the Botucatu cuesta draws the same step. In the 15,399 km² frame, only 12.3% of the ground lies above 800 m. Third plate of the collection “The relief of São Paulo”.

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At a glance

Largest climb in 5 km along profile A–B

543 m

On the Itirapina cuesta

Difference between the highest and lowest points in the frame

671 m

Area of the frame by elevation band (km²)
  • 400–500 m 2,628
  • 500–600 6,015
  • 600–700 2,643
  • 700–800 2,224
  • 800–900 1,540
  • 900–1.000 327
  • 1.000–1.100 22

Layers

  • relevo raster GeoTIFF of elevation in metres (90 m pixels) clipped to the frame, with the plate’s hypsometric ramp in a .qml style
  • faixas_altitude polygon 7 elevation bands, every 100 m, with the area of each
  • perfil line The A–B profile line, 57.2 km
  • ponto_mais_alto point Highest point in the frame, 1,084 m, in Itirapina
  • municipios polygon The 58 municipalities in the frame

Metadata

Extent
Central São Paulo state, between Jaú, São Carlos, Piracicaba and Botucatu (SP)
CRS / Projection
SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software
Python · rasterio · GeoPandas · SciPy · GDAL · QGIS · Node.js · d3-geo
Method
Copernicus DEM GLO-90 tiles mosaicked, lit from the north-west with relief exaggerated 4 times and coloured by elevation band; profile A–B sampled at 600 points, drawn through the frame’s steepest local relief.
Version
v1.0.0
Licence
CC BY 4.0

Downloads

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The map without a frame, with legend, scale, reference system and credit written on it: ready for papers, lectures and slides. In two versions: with the basemap (neighbours and sea) or only the mapped area, on white.

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How to cite

Cerejo, L. N. (2026). Cuestas paulistas: o degrau do basalto [The cuestas of São Paulo: The basalt step] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539565

No. 040 Elevation · relief The relief of São Paulo 2/3

The Serra do Mar

Eight hundred metres between port and plateau

Fig. 040 Santos lowland, Serra do Mar and São Paulo plateau, between Mongaguá, Bertioga and São Paulo (SP) EPSG:4674 Source: Copernicus DEM GLO-90 (ESA, European Union), digital surface model, 90 m pixels, WWF / HydroSHEDS, IBGE

Profile A–B leaves the beach at Santos and runs 15 km across the lowland, between the mangroves and the port; apart from a 109 m hill right at the start, it stays a few metres above sea level. Then the Serra do Mar rises over Cubatão: 769 m of climb in 5 km, and at the top begins the plateau, which rolls on at around 760 m to São Bernardo do Campo and São Paulo. The whole slope, from 20 to 700 m, takes up only 596 km² in the frame’s elevation bands, 14% of the land; 72.5% of the ground lies above 700 m. The Anchieta and Imigrantes motorways and the railway climb this wall, and the Billings reservoir’s water is pumped down it to Cubatão. The highest point in the frame, 1,185 m, is in Mogi das Cruzes. Second plate of the collection “The relief of São Paulo”.

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At a glance

Largest climb in 5 km along profile A–B

769 m

On the scarp above Cubatão, inside São Bernardo do Campo

Land in the frame above 700 m

73 %

Land area of the frame by elevation band (km²)
  • 0–20 m 598
  • 20–100 154
  • 100–200 133
  • 200–400 152
  • 400–600 107
  • 600–700 50
  • 700–800 2,310
  • 800–900 662
  • 900–1.000 87
  • 1.000–1.200 32

Layers

  • relevo raster GeoTIFF of elevation in metres (90 m pixels) clipped to the frame, with the plate’s hypsometric ramp in a .qml style
  • faixas_altitude polygon 10 elevation bands, finer near the sea, with the area of each
  • perfil line The A–B profile line, 35.7 km
  • ponto_mais_alto point Highest point in the frame, 1,185 m, in Mogi das Cruzes
  • municipios polygon The 25 São Paulo municipalities in the frame

Metadata

Extent
Santos lowland, Serra do Mar and São Paulo plateau, between Mongaguá, Bertioga and São Paulo (SP)
CRS / Projection
SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software
Python · rasterio · GeoPandas · SciPy · GDAL · QGIS · Node.js · d3-geo
Method
Copernicus DEM GLO-90 tiles mosaicked, lit from the north-west with relief exaggerated 1.8 times and coloured by elevation band; profile A–B sampled at 600 points.
Version
v1.0.0
Licence
CC BY 4.0

Downloads

Figure to reuse

The map without a frame, with legend, scale, reference system and credit written on it: ready for papers, lectures and slides. In two versions: with the basemap (neighbours and sea) or only the mapped area, on white.

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How to cite

Cerejo, L. N. (2026). Serra do Mar: oitocentos metros entre o porto e o planalto [The Serra do Mar: Eight hundred metres between port and plateau] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539548

No. 039 Elevation · relief The relief of São Paulo 1/3

The Mantiqueira range

The wall above the Paraíba valley

Fig. 039 Paraíba valley and Mantiqueira range, between Taubaté and Queluz (SP), with parts of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro EPSG:4674 Source: Copernicus DEM GLO-90 (ESA, European Union), digital surface model, 90 m pixels, WWF / HydroSHEDS, IBGE

Profile A–B runs 61 km from the south side of the Paraíba valley to the crest of the Mantiqueira. For almost 40 km the ground barely changes, and the Paraíba do Sul river passes at the lowest point, 501 m. Then the range rises all at once: on the steepest stretch the ground climbs 1,332 m in 5 km, up to 2,581 m on the crest. At the top stands Pedra da Mina, in Queluz, on the Minas Gerais border, the highest point in São Paulo: 2,785 m in the 90 m model. Across the valley, the Serra do Mar closes the corridor through which the river, the Via Dutra motorway and the towns run. In the 10,866 km² frame, mean elevation is 1,007 m and 12.9% of the ground lies above 1,500 m. First plate of the collection “The relief of São Paulo”.

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At a glance

Highest point in São Paulo, Pedra da Mina

2,785 m

In the 90 m model, in Queluz, on the Minas Gerais border

Largest climb in 5 km along profile A–B

1,332 m

Area of the frame by elevation band (km²)
  • < 500 m 83
  • 500–700 2,842
  • 700–900 1,797
  • 900–1.100 2,510
  • 1.100–1.300 1,188
  • 1.300–1.500 1,050
  • 1.500–1.700 775
  • 1.700–1.900 441
  • 1.900–2.100 113
  • > 2.100 m 68

Layers

  • relevo raster GeoTIFF of elevation in metres (90 m pixels) clipped to the frame, with the plate’s hypsometric ramp in a .qml style
  • faixas_altitude polygon 13 elevation bands, every 200 m, with the area of each
  • perfil line The A–B profile line, 61.0 km
  • ponto_mais_alto point Pedra da Mina, 2,785 m in the model
  • municipios polygon The 25 São Paulo municipalities in the frame

Metadata

Extent
Paraíba valley and Mantiqueira range, between Taubaté and Queluz (SP), with parts of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro
CRS / Projection
SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software
Python · rasterio · GeoPandas · SciPy · GDAL · QGIS · Node.js · d3-geo
Method
Copernicus DEM GLO-90 tiles mosaicked, lit from the north-west with relief exaggerated 1.6 times and coloured by elevation band; profile A–B sampled at 600 points.
Version
v1.0.0
Licence
CC BY 4.0

Downloads

Figure to reuse

The map without a frame, with legend, scale, reference system and credit written on it: ready for papers, lectures and slides. In two versions: with the basemap (neighbours and sea) or only the mapped area, on white.

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How to cite

Cerejo, L. N. (2026). Serra da Mantiqueira: a muralha sobre o vale do Paraíba [The Mantiqueira range: The wall above the Paraíba valley] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539387

No. 038 Biomes Water in São Paulo 3/3

Protected areas

Where the forest still keeps the spring

Fig. 038 São Paulo state (SP) EPSG:4674 Source: MMA, SEADE, IBGE

In the Litoral Norte, 73% of the basin lies in strictly protected areas, most of it in the Serra do Mar State Park. In the west of the state, three basins — Baixo Tietê, São José dos Dourados and Baixo Pardo/Grande — have none at all. Taken together, the 270 protected areas in the CNUC for São Paulo cover 15.1% of the territory, but only 4.0% under strict protection; nearly all the rest are Environmental Protection Areas, which allow settlement under rules. Over the 22 basins, the map shows where protected forest still keeps the springs: in the Serra do Mar and the Ribeira valley. Final plate of the collection “Water in São Paulo”.

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At a glance

Share of basin under strict protection (top six) (%)
  • 3 · Litoral Norte 73
  • 7 · Baixada Santista 45
  • 11 · Ribeira de Iguape/Litoral Sul 26
  • 1 · Mantiqueira 18
  • 6 · Alto Tietê 6.1
  • 2 · Paraíba do Sul 6
São Paulo’s territory in protected areas

15 %

4.0% strictly protected; 51 APAs among the 270 units

Layers

  • unidades_conservacao polygon 270 protected areas: category, group, sphere, founding act and area in SP
  • ugrhi polygon 22 UGRHIs with the area and share under strict protection and in any protected area
  • limite_estadual polygon State boundary

Metadata

Extent
São Paulo state (SP)
CRS / Projection
SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software
Python · GeoPandas · GDAL · QGIS · Node.js · d3-geo
Method
CNUC protected areas clipped to São Paulo’s territory; areas dissolved so overlaps are not counted twice, and crossed with the 22 UGRHIs.
Version
v1.0.0
Licence
CC BY 4.0

Downloads

Figure to reuse

The map without a frame, with legend, scale, reference system and credit written on it: ready for papers, lectures and slides. In two versions: with the basemap (neighbours and sea) or only the mapped area, on white.

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How to cite

Cerejo, L. N. (2026). Unidades de conservação: onde a floresta ainda guarda a nascente [Protected areas: Where the forest still keeps the spring] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539373

No. 037 Hydrography Water in São Paulo 2/3

Drainage network

Rivers that turn their backs on the sea

Fig. 037 State of São Paulo (SP) EPSG:4674 Source: WWF / HydroSHEDS, IBGE

The Tietê rises 12.5 km from the sea and runs 982 km the other way, inland, to the Paraná. It is not alone: 85.7% of the area drained by São Paulo’s rivers flows inland and on down the Paraná to the River Plate, between Argentina and Uruguay. The Serra do Mar and the Mantiqueira divide the waters. Only the coastal strip, the Ribeira de Iguape and the Paraíba do Sul valley send their rain straight to the Atlantic, through 123 river mouths on the São Paulo coast. The map draws 61,009 km of rivers, each reach as wide as its mean discharge: from headwater streams to the Paraná on the state border, with 8,490 m³/s. Second plate of the collection “Water in São Paulo”.

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At a glance

Kilometres of river in São Paulo, by slope (km)
  • Para o interior, bacia do Prata 81.5%
  • Direto para o Atlântico 18.5%
Kilometres of river by Strahler order (km)
  • 1 30,724
  • 2 15,472
  • 3 7,764
  • 4 3,310
  • 5 2,114
  • 6 517
  • 7 946
  • 8 162
Drained area flowing inland

86 %

The rest flows straight to the Atlantic, through 123 mouths on the São Paulo coast

Layers

  • rios line 16,999 river reaches in the state and on its border: length, upstream area, mean discharge, Strahler order and slope
  • tiete line The Tietê from its source to the Paraná, 982 km
  • limite_estadual polygon State boundary

Metadata

Extent
State of São Paulo (SP)
CRS / Projection
SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software
Python · GeoPandas · GDAL · QGIS · Node.js · d3-geo
Method
HydroRIVERS reaches clipped to São Paulo, with width by modelled mean discharge and slope by the outlet of the river system; the Tietê traced from mouth to source along the reach with the largest upstream area.
Version
v1.0.0
Licence
CC BY 4.0

Downloads

Figure to reuse

The map without a frame, with legend, scale, reference system and credit written on it: ready for papers, lectures and slides. In two versions: with the basemap (neighbours and sea) or only the mapped area, on white.

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How to cite

Cerejo, L. N. (2026). Rede de drenagem: os rios que dão as costas ao mar [Drainage network: Rivers that turn their backs on the sea] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539351

Technical record

Technical record · No. 044

Distributed solar generation

At a glance

Solar capacity in distributed generation

54 GW

4,665,874 systems, 265 W per inhabitant

Capacity by consumer class (GW) (GW)
  • Residencial 52.3%
  • Comercial 26.6%
  • Rural 12.4%
  • Industrial 6.8%
  • Poder público 1.2%
  • Outras 0.8%
Watts per inhabitant, the five highest and five lowest states (W)
  • MT 872
  • MS 700
  • PR 600
  • TO 503
  • RO 492
  • PB 165
  • MA 164
  • SE 144
  • RJ 128
  • AM 115

Layers

  • municipios polygon 5,571 municipalities: population, number of solar systems, total capacity, by size, residential and remote self-consumption (kW), units receiving credit, watts per inhabitant and class
  • ufs polygon 27 states
  • limite_nacional polygon National boundary

Metadata

Extent
Brazil
CRS / Projection
SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software
Python · pandas · GeoPandas · GDAL · QGIS · Node.js · d3-geo
Method
Capacity of photovoltaic micro- and mini-generation systems summed by municipality, divided by the 2022 Census population and grouped into seven classes of watts per inhabitant.
Version
v1.0.0
Licence
CC BY 4.0

Downloads

Figure to reuse

The map without a frame, with legend, scale, reference system and credit written on it: ready for papers, lectures and slides. In two versions: with the basemap (neighbours and sea) or only the mapped area, on white.

With basemap (PNG) Without basemap (PNG) QR code (SVG)

Point a camera at it to open this page.

How to cite

Cerejo, L. N. (2026). Geração solar distribuída: o sol que mora nos telhados [Distributed solar generation: The sun that lives on the rooftops] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539656

Data and plates under CC BY 4.0: use them in commercial drawings and papers, citing the source.

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