'Agribusiness was the segment that invested the most in solar energy in 2020'

According to Alexandre Borin, commercial manager at Fronius do Brasil, agribusiness is the market segment that grew the most and invested in photovoltaic solar energy in 2020.

For the expert, this was due to the increase in revenue of companies linked to exports and the increase in electricity prices due to exchange rate variations. “Talking to partners, they reported having many projects in cooperatives, poultry farms and with rural producers. In other words, they are consuming much more three-phase inverters than single-phase inverters,” he reported. 

“At Fronius, for example, we saw the greatest growth in the Symo and Eco lines, which are three-phase. They do not correspond to the majority of the company's business, however, if we look at the growth this year, they expanded more than the single-phase line”, highlighted Borin. 

Furthermore, according to him, agribusiness drives the growth of the photovoltaic sector by having, in itself, a more sustainable footprint, whether in the cultivation of crops or inputs, and by the stability in energy generation that this segment brings to consumers.

“In rural properties, as they are further away from urban centers, energy arrives with a certain instability in the system itself. Producers choosing to use solar will have a more stable source of generation than, sometimes, the utility grid, which delivers energy with fluctuations”, he explained.

The executive also said that agribusiness was the sector that did not stop buying, on the contrary, it boosted and even offset a good part of the contraction that the industrial and residential markets experienced in recent quarters due to the pandemic. 

“All manufacturers, distributors and integrators that were investing in this segment were very successful. One of our distributors even reported that agribusiness was what saved revenue this year,” he concluded.

Agribusiness grows 100% in 2020

According to data from ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency), solar energy on rural properties reached, between January and November of this year, 320 MW of power, an increase of 100% compared to the 160 MW recorded in the same period last year.

The region that led this expansion was the Southeast of the country, which accounted for 138,5 MW, a growth of 135% compared to the 58,8 MW of the previous year. Second appears the South, with 77,5 MW, and then the Central-West, with 74,5 MW.

The state that appears in first place is Minas Gerais, with 102,7 MW installed in the first 11 months of 2020 – which corresponds to an increase of almost 130% compared to the 45,2 MW of power registered in the same period last year. In second place is the Rio Grande do Sul, with 44 MW, and Mato Grosso in third, with 41,5 MW.

Solar projects in agribusiness

One of the companies that decided to invest in solar energy was Buriti Armazéns Gerais, located in the municipality of Jataí (GO), which operates in the cereal trade and grain processing and storage. The company invested R$1,6 million to adapt its 4 thousand m² plant to a photovoltaic system. 

The plant, which has 408 kWp, has 12 Fronius inverters and 1.200 modules installed. The savings generated are almost R$750 in electricity costs. “Before installing the project, we spent between R$70 and R$119 thousand per month on the electricity bill. Now, we only pay the value of the contracted demand, around R$10, depending on the period”, reported Vinicius Ribeiro Araújo, manager of the project, calculating an average saving of R$75 per month.

According to him, the payback of four years combined with a sustainable generation source, is allowing the company to drastically reduce costs, which can be redirected towards modernization and hiring of labor.

Furthermore, according to Fronius, the system was designed to supply 100% of the energy consumed during peak hours. The excess production is being shared between two residences, four farms, an agribusiness and a gym, owned by the same owner, providing even greater savings for the group.

For Guilherme Souza, technical manager at M&F Solar Group, responsible for installing the Buriti photovoltaic system, due to the fact that the company is headquartered in the city of Jataí (GO) – which is the largest corn producer in the country and is among the 10 largest national soybean producers – the implementation of photovoltaic systems in agribusiness companies represents 80% of its customers and has grown increasingly.

“In addition to the possibility of reducing expenses in the short, medium and long term, the opportunity to generate your own energy allows both small and large entrepreneurs in the sector to have quality energy available. And particularly in the Buriti Armazéns Gerais project, the installation of 12 Fronius Eco-27.0-3 inverters, each responsible for generating around 8% of all energy, allowed the decentralization and optimization of the system as a whole”, highlighted Souza .