EN 
PT_BR 
“Agribusiness is already one of the most important sectors of the Brazilian economy in the area of solar energy.” This is the analysis of Rodrigo Sauaia, CEO of ABSOLAR (Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association).
According to the executive, 13.2% of all investments in small-scale solar photovoltaic generation are made by rural producers. An accumulated investment, since 2012, of R$ 2.3 billion, which led to the creation of more than 14 thousand new jobs in the regions where the systems were installed.
“Which also brought, from the point of view of tax collection for the public authorities, more than R$ 600 million”, added Sauaia.
According to him, there are around 21 thousand operational photovoltaic systems serving more than 30 thousand rural producers with clean, renewable and competitive solar energy. “In total, there are 488.5 MW in solar generation distributed among rural properties”, he pointed out.
Benefits of solar energy in the field
For the expert, solar energy brings numerous benefits to rural production and can be used for various purposes. The most common is water pumping, used for irrigation, watering animals, fish farming, cooling production processes and other activities.
“Solar photovoltaics, with energy from the sun, can produce electrical energy that will activate the pumps and pump water to the reservoir or for use in production processes in the field,” said Sauaia.
“This pumping, in the past, was done with diesel generators. The problem is that the diesel generator is cheaper when you buy the equipment in the first year of its life, but it is more expensive throughout the entire useful life of the system due to the cost of fuel, operation and maintenance, which are more expensive than a photovoltaic system”.
Therefore, according to the CEO of ABSOLAR, rural producers found pumping a replacement for what was done with a diesel generator, as it is more competitive, less polluting and quieter.
“It is also possible to take advantage of this area of the solar system, installing the system at a slightly higher height from the ground, for multiple uses with production activities. In other words, grazing small or medium-sized animals, such as sheep and birds, or making combined use of the same area to generate electricity and also for the production, for example, of vegetables and other products”, he added.
Solar energy in the countryside continues to expand
The photovoltaic source, by generating clean, renewable electrical energy at affordable prices for rural producers, has expanded to many other functions in addition to water pumping and irrigation.
“For example, in lighting areas of the property, the residence itself or in production processes. It is worth mentioning that many rural producers need to invest a significant amount of electricity for their production processes, whether, for example, taking care of the temperature of the milk or the farms”, highlighted Rodrigo Sauaia.
According to him, solar energy is also being used in the desalination process, especially in the Brazilian semi-arid region, where water is an extremely scarce resource. “With solar you can transform that scorching sun into a process of purifying brackish water, using it and bringing benefits to the population of the region or for productive activities in the field”.
In addition, there are also other uses such as electric fences, aerators, surveillance, monitoring and telecommunications systems. “These are some of the most common applications of solar for rural producers”, explained the CEO of ABSOLAR.
The executive also highlighted that the solar source provides electrical energy of higher quality, safety and that brings more autonomy in the rural producer's supply, allowing the use of unproductive areas, such as roofs, facades, coverings of buildings or parking lots and degraded areas of soil. .
“It is also possible to take electricity to regions far from the grid or where the supply is unstable and insufficient. And thereby increase the productivity and profits of rural producers using this technology”, he emphasized.
Brazil is the 8th country that generated the most jobs in the solar sector
For the first time in history, Brazil is among the 10 countries that generated the most jobs in the world within the photovoltaic solar energy market in 2019. The data comes from the recent report by IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency), which indicated that O country reached 8th position in the ranking.
The historic mark, of more than 43 thousand jobs created by the Brazilian photovoltaic sector last year, still allowed Brazil to stay ahead of sector leaders, such as Germany and the United Kingdom.
The research also highlighted that the renewable energy market generated 11.5 million jobs worldwide in 2019 with the solar photovoltaic industry present in 3.8 million jobs, representing a third of the total.
