Solar energy at home takes 4 to 7 years to pay off; understand

The general idea is tempting. Use a free and renewable source, such as sunlight or wind, to generate the energy needed to heat water for showers, operate televisions and refrigerators, and light the house.

The investment, however, is high and tends to pay off more in the short term for those who spend more — those who spend less will take longer to compensate for the installation expense.

Simulations made by the Solar Portal for the sheet show that the payback period, called in the market by the English term “payback”, varies from four to seven years.

The investment, for a family that is spending, on average, R$500 per month on the electricity bill, is between R$21,700 in the North region and R$33,700 in São Paulo.

The difference in spending also changes the payback time, which will take about five years in the North and six years in São Paulo.

The vice president of distributed generation at Absolar (Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy), Bárbara Rubim, says that the investment is already worthwhile for those who have an average expenditure in the range of R$ 250 per month.

“The slabs have risen a lot in prices on account of the dollar. About 80% of the equipment is imported. What has helped in the viability of the system is the electricity bill still rising to double digits per year, which ends up even anticipating the time of return on investment”, he says, referring to the accumulated increase of 27% in electricity expenses in the 12 months up to January.

The increase in the electricity bill boosted the market for photovoltaic plates, as the panels installed on the top of buildings, on the roofs of houses and or in open areas with availability for capture are called.

Imports of these products more than doubled in 2021, compared to 2020, according to a balance sheet by Abinee (Brazilian Association of Electrical and Electronics Industry). From January to December, US$ 2.3 billion (about R$ 11.7 billion) in photovoltaic modules entered the country.

How to know if it’s worth it

Consumers who are considering investing in their own generation system can use simulators available on the internet, such as Portal Solar, or request a quote directly from companies in the sector.

It is also possible to buy ready-made kits via the internet, but Absolar recommends looking for companies that are already known, which will be able to calculate the number of plates, type, space and maintenance required.

The Solar Portal simulations made for the sheet allow to have an idea of ​​the investment from the prices practiced in the market in 2022.

Solar panel for those without a roof

In cities like São Paulo, with entire neighborhoods occupied only by buildings, there are three possibilities for self-generation.

Bárbara Rubim, from Absolar, says that it is possible to use an area, such as land, which may be far from where the consumer lives, and install the necessary infrastructure for consumption. This model is called remote distributed generation, as it is done at a certain distance from consumption.

The restriction to this type of use is that it must take place in the area of ​​the same concessionaire. Therefore, a resident of the capital will only be able to make this installation if their land is within the area served by Enel.

If this space, which can be a farm or just a piece of land, is in the municipality of Guarulhos, for example, the installation of your micro plant will no longer be possible, as the city is served by EDP. On the other hand, those who live in Guarulhos can start producing on land in Poá, in Greater SP, or in São Sebastião, on the north coast.

The other possibility is for the consumer to lease an area of ​​a solar farm, as businesses that install large volumes of plates became known and then share the energy credits with companies and individuals.

The market potential is such that even concessionaires in the captive market (as conventional supply is called) have made investments in solar farms that are then leased to large consumers, such as industries and large companies.

For the residents of buildings, there is also the possibility for the building to install in the common area and distribute the credits with the residents.

The growth of this market also gave rise to startups that connect the two ends: companies that produce energy and consumers who seek to buy credits to offset their electricity bills. The sale of solar energy is not allowed.

What is the distributed generation

The name of distributed generation is the production of energy at or near the place of consumption, unlike what occurs in centralized generation at plants, in which there is a lot of power concentrated in the same place and then distributed to consumers.

This type of own production is not limited to solar energy systems, says lawyer Ligia Schlittler, from Felsberg Advogados, founder of Women in Energy, it also includes the wind system (which uses wind). Currently, however, 99.9% of own generation in Brazil comes from solar energy.

“With this generation you change even the flow of energy production. In the centralized, the arrows that represent the flow of energy leave the plants and go to consumers. In distributed generation, the arrows go back and forth to consumers”, he explains.

Legal framework brought new rules, but nothing changes for now

In January of this year, self-generation of energy gained a legal framework, a set of regulatory parameters that, for the sector, provide security to production systems already installed and also to those under study.

Law No. 14,300 also meets a demand from distributors, who demanded a review of the rule that gave power generators an exemption from a fee for using the network. In the energy market, this rate is called Tusd B (tariff for the use of distribution systems), also known as wire B.

For those who already have a generation system, the exemption from this fee will remain in effect until 2045. The law also provides for the same benefit for those who request access until January 6, 2023.

“The acquired right is quite relevant. The consumer does not need to build this plant in a year, he has a deadline for it”, says Bárbara Rubim, from Absolar.

This period varies according to the size of the requested generation. In general, residential consumers are considered microgenerators, with installed power of up to 75kW (kilowatts). For them, the deadline to start producing energy is 120 days.

For those who decide to produce their own energy from January 7th of next year, the payment for the wire will be progressive. It will start at 15% as early as 2023, until it reaches 100% from 2029.