Eighty UBSs (Basic Health Units) in São Paulo, distributed throughout the five regions of the city, will have solar energy in their facilities as of 2024.
The initiative comes from a PPP (public-private partnership) between the City of São Paulo and the Sol da Saúde consortium, signed on December 14th. According to Ricardo Nunes (MDB) management, this partnership will generate savings of R$ 65 million for the municipality in 25 years.
According to the city hall’s calculations, the savings with conventional energy bills should reach 56%, resulting in a reduction of R$ 2.05 million per year. The consortium will receive R$ 171 thousand per month during the contract.
The generation of solar energy in the UBSs is the first part of the Municipal Clean Energy Program. The second phase, which is yet to be tendered, provides for the implementation of solar energy in 775 schools in the municipality. The third project is the construction of a “solar farm” on the Bandeirantes landfill, in the Perus district (north of the city of São Paulo), a space where plates for generating solar energy will be installed.
The implementation in the UBSs should be done in two years. The first four months will be the preparation. In the following 20 months, the implantation. In 12 months, the generating plants will be installed in 27 UBSs, with a total of 10,644 photovoltaic energy boards.
During the analysis process, the consortium will verify the feasibility of installing the power needed to generate the minimum volume — the minimum annual generation is 5.48 GWh (Gigawatt-hour)/year.
According to the city hall, health facilities are distributed across the six regions of the capital: 16 UBSs and one Integrated AMA/UBS in the northern region, two UBSs in the central region, 27 UBSs and five Integrated AMAs/UBSs in the eastern region, seven UBSs , two Integrated AMAs/UBSs and one AMA/Specialty Outpatient Clinic in the west region, 13 UBSs in the southeast region and six UBSs in the south region.
The Sol da Saúde consortium, formed by Quantum from Santa Catarina and the financial consultancy Houer, will install solar panels on the roof of each UBS — a relationship that has already been defined by the city hall. The energy captured by these plates is transformed into electrical energy for the unit. The consortium will also be responsible for negotiations with the distributor to connect the structure to the electricity grid.
The city government placed investment fund quotas as collateral in the contract with the concessionaire. “It is an innovative project in the country, as it is the first that was structured in the form of a PPP, with public guarantee, where the private partner is interested in investing”, says Alex Novais, manager of new business at Quantum.
According to city hall accounts, the implementation of the project will prevent 72,594 tons of CO₂ from being released into the atmosphere over 25 years, equivalent to the environmental loss of felling 1,862,795 trees or 483,504,983 km traveled by vehicles.
“We have 469 UBSs and 80 of them will save more than 1 million trees, in addition to financial gain”, says Mayor Ricardo Nunes.
The use of solar energy by public bodies is still not very representative, according to Bárbara Rubim, vice-president of Absolar (Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association) energy,” she says.
For Pedro Luiz Côrtes, professor at USP’s Institute of Energy and Environment, this type of partnership for the supply of solar energy is interesting.
“The idea is good, in the sense of using more sustainable sources. It may be that these UBSs do not achieve full autonomy, which also depends on weather conditions. But, in any case, it reduces dependence on the normal distribution network”, says the professor. .
“But, first of all, it is necessary to know what is the benefit being generated for the population, and also to analyze how the remuneration of this partnership is being made.”
The partnership between the City of São Paulo and the Sol da Saúde consortium comes at the same time that the House of Representatives approved a bill that establishes that consumers who produce and use renewable energy sources, such as solar, pay a tariff for the use of power distribution wires.
“Generating remote energy also needs to pay for the use of the wire. It will be a little more expensive, but not unfeasible. We understand that these changes are fair for the market”, says Novais.
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I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
