Import of parts for solar energy doubles in 2021

Imports of solar panels for energy capture should double in 2021, compared to the previous year.

A forecast released this Thursday (9) by Abinee (Brazilian Association of the Electric and Electronic Industry) predicts that the purchase of solar panels and other components for this type of installation in other countries will add up to US$ 2.032 billion (about R$ 11, 2 billion) at the end of this year, an increase of 98% compared to 2020.

For 2022, the association’s perspective is that imports will continue at high levels, since there has been an increase in all types of generation, whether centralized (through auctions) or distributed (when a consumer installs the structure at home, for example).

Marcelo Machado, director of the generation, transmission and distribution area at Abinee, says that there is a shortage of materials on the market, given a significant increase in the adoption of solar energy, but mainly in microgeneration.

In August of this year, Brazil surpassed the mark of 10 GW (gigawatts) of installed power in solar energy, reaching the 14th position among the countries with the greatest capacity for this source.

According to the president of Abinee, the moment would be favorable for stimulating the production of capture modules by the national industry, but it comes up against the high cost of inputs. In addition, the equipment for generating solar energy has had its import tax zeroed since last year. “We reached 19% of production and today, with all this growth, we are reduced to 2%”, says Barbarto.

“Our complaint is not about the opening of the market. The problem is that the inputs for production do not have a reduction in the import input”, says the leader. “We have put these numbers to the Ministry of Economy and we hope that the inputs needed for production can have a reduction in the import tax so that the Brazilian industry is able to compete.”

Last week, the five-year renewal of the Padis (Program to Support Technological Development of the Semiconductor Industry) was approved, which would end in January. In practice, the program guarantees tax incentives for the purchase of solar cells, such as modules and panels. For Abinee, the renewal is positive and gives the industry a boost.

For 2022, the sector expects to grow 7% (2% of real high) and earn R$ 233.3 billion. The rise in the level of production and employment are also estimated at 2%.

The electronics industry association forecasts R$ 4 billion in investments, an increase of 10% compared to 2021. Almost three quarters of the companies interviewed by Abinee said they intend to increase the volume of investments in 2022.

This year, the sector recorded revenues of R$ 214.2 billion, with a real growth of 7% compared to 2020. In comparison with 2019, the pre-pandemic year, the increase was 6%.

In exports, the sector has already returned to the same level of business as 2019, before the pandemic. Compared to 2020, there was an increase of 26%, from US$4.5 billion (about R$25 billion) to US$5.6 billion (R$31 billion). Imports increased 26%, from US$31.4 billion to R$174.4 billion in 2020, to US$39.4 billion (R$218 billion) this year. Compared to 2019, the growth was 23%.

Difficulty with the purchase of electronic inputs and components follows a concern of electronic industries. Abinee survey shows that 28% of companies no longer make projections when the situation should be normalized. The 39% expectation is that this will happen in the middle of next year. For 25%, however, supply and demand will only balance in 2023.

“It is noteworthy that no company reported a total stoppage of production, as in the automotive sector. They even stopped and then the electro and electronic sector occupied a space that used to belong to the automobile industry,” he says.

“Our industries had a slowdown, but we have a portfolio that allows the consumer to have no shortage of products.