Solar energy is increasingly present in football clubs 

The acquisition of photovoltaic systems has become increasingly common among Brazilian football clubs. In addition to providing energy in a sustainable manner, the use of technology is well regarded by clubs as an alternative to reducing costs and increasing investment power.

In the first division, the popular Série A of the Brazilian Championship, at least three clubs already have Photovoltaic systems installed in their structures, as is the recent case of Youth, which began implementing 240 solar panels on its premises at the beginning of the month.

In total, there will be 200 signs in operation at the Alfredo Jaconi stadium and another 40 at the team's CT (Training Center). The expectation is that the team from Rio Grande do Sul will save R$15 per month with the technology, the equivalent of R$180 per year.

In Santa Catarina, the Avaí also invested in the benefits of solar energy through a partnership with a company in Florianópolis. Since the end of last year, the club has been passing on the electricity generated by the photovoltaic panels to Celesc (Centrais Elétricas de Santa Catarina, the state's concessionaire) and receiving a discount on its electricity bill.

The system was installed by Prisma Energia Solar on the premises of the Ressacada stadium and on the roofs of warehouses located nearby. In total, there are 646 panels with a generation capacity of 300 kWh, around 2 more than the club consumed before installing the technology.

In Minas Gerais, the Athletic-MG – current champion of the Brazilian Championship and the Brazilian Cup – has also had solar energy for almost two years in its five structures: Cidade do Galo; the CT; the administrative headquarters in the Lourdes neighborhood, in Belo Horizonte (MG); in addition to its social clubs, Labareda and Vila Olímpica.

The project to install the photovoltaic panels was carried out through a commercial agreement with the company Solatio Energia Livre. As of May of this year, Galo's estimated savings with the systems were more than R$2 million.

In addition to first division clubs, other smaller teams also see solar energy as a good investment. In the interior of São Paulo, for example, Mirassol is one of the teams with solar energy in its training center. The system was installed by Ecori Energia Solar.

The Lion has been achieving good results on the field since 2020 and the installation was just another step towards the top beyond the four lines of the lawn. In total, the board of the São Paulo club invested around R$300 thousand and the expected return on the investment is estimated in less than four years.

Another example of a team that has been reaping the benefits of good football management is Portuguesa-RJ, located in the Ilha do Governador neighborhood, in the north of Rio de Janeiro.

This year, the club, in addition to making history in the Copa do Brasil – achieving its best result in its history by reaching the third phase of the competition – also inaugurated, in March, a photovoltaic plant in partnership with Green Solar.

764 solar panels were installed on the club's traditional marquee, while four inverters began to operate in the generation room, which together generate almost 400 thousand kWh per year.

The solar plant's main challenges were not to interfere with the club's social life and not compromise the appearance of the marquee – recognized as a historical heritage of the city.