Solar energy will employ more than half a million people by 2024

“If we add up the jobs accumulated over the next three years, considering annual growth in historical averages, we will easily surpass the half million mark.” This is the analysis of Rodrigo Sauaia, CEO of ABSOLAR (Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association).

According to the executive, around 118 thousand new jobs in photovoltaic DG (distributed generation) should be created this year alone. Adding GC (centralized generation), this number rises to 147 thousand.

“We realized that DG, from a socioeconomic point of view, is effectively a positive development lever for Brazilian society. It is the renewable source that generates the most jobs in the world. A third of all renewable energy jobs come from solar sources, and for each MW installed, 30 jobs are created”, highlighted the executive.

“The majority of jobs are local and quality. Locations because 50, 60% of these positions are in systems installation; around 20% in engineering, services and logistics; and another 20% in the manufacturing of equipment and components. Furthermore, we can also say that they are quality jobs as their salaries are higher than the national average, in the range of two minimum wages”, added Sauaia.

According to the expert, distributed generation has created jobs, generating income for Brazilians, which adds a lot of value to society. “It is a value that today does not appear in any of the accounts that have been presented, whether by ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency) in a clear and considered manner, either by the Ministry of Economy, which also has in its attribution to look at work and generation of income and wealth, but which did not include this in its analyses. They only looked at the costs of DG”, he highlighted.

“It is worth highlighting that when we look at the guidelines of the CNPE (National Energy Policy Council) in its resolution number 15 of 2020, which are guidelines for public DG policies, the importance of including the benefits of distributed generation is very clear and explicit”, pointed out the CEO of ABSOLAR.

More advantages

Another point highlighted by Rodrigo Sauaia is that GD contributes to the reduction of thermoelectric dispatch, that is, mitigating the costs of tariff flags and dispatch values ​​outside the order of merit that are paid in the form of charges, even relieving large consumers who are even in the free market – who pay and share these charges throughout the system.

“We also think that solar, now with 5 GW operational, at the time of greatest demand on the system, between 11 am and 17 pm – which are the peak times and peak times for thermal power plants – is helping to alleviate the system, precisely in this important proportion of 5 GW in nominal power in favor of reasonable tariffs and minimizing consumer costs, even those who have not installed DG”, commented the executive.

“Those who have and those who don’t have solar energy win, and society also wins through opportunities to generate employment and income and public authorities through revenue collection, economic movement and reinjection of resources into the local economy”, he concluded.

Other data

Data from ABSOLAR point out that, since 2012, distributed photovoltaic generation has provided consumers with savings of more than R$3,6 billion in electricity costs. In November 2020 alone, for example, people who generated their own energy helped the sector save more than R$400 million on thermoelectric plants. In addition, the association reported that DG has attracted R$24 billion in new investments to date. Projections show that there will be another R$17 billion in 2021.