Event reports
On October 31st 2013, the first privately operated solar power plant that is connected to the local electricity grid has been inaugurated. The installation consisting of nine solar panels with a capacity of 228 kWh is located on the roof of a private house in the neighbourhood of Santa Teresa. Pioneering in this area, the German Hans Rauschmayer, resident and operator of the energy plant and at the same time managing director of the solar energy company solarize, wants to raise awareness of the advantages and potentials of micro-generation. The solar energy plant will absorb a significant amount of his private energy consumption. In that way, visible savings in the electricity bill will be realized.
As opposed to the wide distribution of privately operated solar energy installations in Germany micro-generation is still rare in Brazil. Despite the high potential of photovoltaics in Brazil - resulting from the high solar radiation that is many times larger than the levels you come across in Germany – only a few households benefit from it yet. Reasons are the lack of financial incentives (e.g. in the form of subsidies or support programs), the considerable size of the investment as well as the uncertainty stemming from a for a long time vague legal basis. Just at the end of last year, regulation has made a major pace forward by enacting a law on the feed in of power generated from private solar energy plants in the public electricity system and the credit allowances from it. Now, individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises can participate in profits from renewable energies as well.
Next to solarize the local energy supplier Light and the German GIZ (Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit) as well as its cooperation partner Instituto ideal from Florianopolis, Brazil, have been involved in the realization of the project in Santa Teresa. For Light, the installation of the solar energy plant and its connection to the electricity network can be considered a pilot project. Despite the lack of experience in this area, the implementation occurred however without major difficulties. Within the time of three months the project has been completed. By now, Light is busy realizing four similar private solar energy projects in Rio de Janeiro. The GIZ, in Brazil active amongst others in the area renewable energies, has supported the construction of the solar energy plant by means of its experience and technical know-how from Germany.
For his new solar energy plant the operator Hans Rauschmayer has received the Selo Solar. With this certificate, the Instituto ideal awards public institutions, individuals and companies that generate at least 50% of their energy consumption from solar energy.
All involved parties consider the project a great success and, by means of this example, hope to promote solar energy and to convince further micro-generators. The president of the Instituto ideal, Mauro Passos, strongly beliefs that solar energy in Brazil will face a great future given its indisputable potential.