President Jair Bolsonaro announced at a press conference that the government will use photovoltaic solar energy for water pumping projects in northeastern Brazil. The announcement was made a month before the inauguration of the floating solar plant in the Sobradinho reservoir.
The government plans to save 300 million reais annually on the cost of energy needed to pump water from the São Francisco River.
“With photovoltaic panels the expense will be zero, we will not have the conventional cost of energy and we will still inject the excess energy into the grid” said the president.
The president also cited some advantages of this type of installation, such as less evaporation of water from the reservoir. “This is a very smart project… and very welcome” – he added.
The floating solar plant project in the Sobradinho reservoir will initially have 1MWp of power, with plans to expand to a further 4MWp.
