Brazil registered a historic milestone of more than 400 thousand UCs (consumer units) that use renewable sources, according to data from ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency). With 97% of the total number of connected CUs, photovoltaic solar energy represents the vast majority of all connections, with around 389 thousand units.
Also according to ANEEL, the Southeast region has the largest number of CUs that receive credit through the photovoltaic source, with around 173 thousand units benefiting, followed by the South region, with approximately 89 thousand CUs, and the Northeast region, with more than 66 thousand consumer units.
“The global trend is for more and more consumers to opt for another way of producing and consuming their own energy, in a more economical, efficient and sustainable way”, highlights Carlos Evangelista, president of ABGD (Brazilian Association of Distributed Generation).
Of the total UCs that receive credit through solar sources, more than 268 thousand are in the residential class, around 78 thousand are in the commercial class, approximately 30 in the rural class and more than 10 thousand in the industrial class.
“We need to put an end to the myth that DG (distributed generation) is for large businesspeople and wealthier consumers. There are projects of all sizes and with diverse sources, in addition to countless social projects bringing the benefits of distributed generation to the neediest”, adds Evangelista.
According to the executive, after a year of difficulty due to Covid-19, 2021 could see significant growth in consumer units and connections. “Distributed generation is an excellent opportunity in a scenario of economic recovery. It means financial savings, reduced losses from energy transportation and more sustainability, a feature increasingly sought after by consumers”, he highlights.
The president of ABGD also comments on expectations regarding the creation of the GD legal framework in the country.
“We are working so that every prosumer does not have to pay the availability cost, which is the minimum fee charged by distributors to remain connected to the network. With this, we will insert over 70 million new consumers into the DG market who will be able to benefit from the advantages of distributed generation with renewable energy sources”, he concludes.
