The use of renewable alternative sources of energy in the world has been growing in the last few decades due to concerns about dependence on fossil sources and to environmental reasons, related to climatic change and its effects on mankind. Tax and/or financial incentives have been instituted for the population, to have access to renewable source technologies, and for the local equipment industry, to develop more quickly. In Brazil, the PV (photovoltaic) equipment to convert solar into electricity is more often used in low income rural communities, located distant from the grid network, for rural electrification, water pumping and public illumination. However, since there is no currently specific regulatory incentive mechanism for this source in the country, the Brazilian PV equipment industry has not made great advances and the market is largely dominated by multinationals. Against this background, a survey of the current PV equipment industry in Brazil is extremely relevant, especially in the event of a national program development to promote the use of this technology, stimulate the domestic industry and reduce the dependence on imported equipment. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.34718011805