Panel SA: Own energy generation advances with pandemic and new legal framework

Own energy generation projects from renewable sources this year reached an accumulated power of 8.1 GW, more than half of the installed capacity at the Itaipu hydroelectric plant, the largest in the country.

Installed in businesses and homes, these projects could serve 12 million people if they were all connected to the distribution network, says the Associação Brasileira de Geração Distribuída.

Investments in these projects increased due to the high cost of electricity and the greater offer of credit for the acquisition of equipment, says Guilherme Chrispim, president of the association.

The advance of teleworking during the pandemic also contributed. Chrispim calculates that the development of a residential solar energy project will cost around R$15,000 in São Paulo.

Large companies also entered the race to reduce taxes and escape the effects of the water crisis. In the state of São Paulo, its own generation capacity from clean sources doubled in the pandemic.

Another factor that should speed up the projects is the expectation created by the new legal framework approved by Congress, which expands subsidies for the sector and is the target of criticism from energy distributors.

With Ricardo Balthazar (interim), Andressa Motter e Ana Paula Branco. ​