The energy tariff in the city of Rio de Janeiro was adjusted by 17,14% (ENEL Distribuição Rio) and 15,41% (Light Serviços de Eletricidade S/A). The adjustment was approved on Tuesday (15) by ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency).
The reason for high electricity bill It was mainly influenced by sectoral charges and the costs of purchasing and distributing energy. Last year, Brazil went through an energy crisis that increased the cost of producing energy.
According to ANEEL and ABSOLAR (Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy), Rio de Janeiro occupies 7th position in the state ranking of solar energy. Its installed power is 324.221,93 kW, corresponding to 4,17% of the national energy matrix.
For Marcio Casici, co-owner of the company Re9 Solar Energy, the announcement of an energy tariff adjustment and the high consumption of electricity in this summer period have led to an increase in the search for solar energy recently. “The main reason for the rise in tariffs was the severe water crisis that we experienced in 2021, which required a large order from thermal plants that have a more costly operation, both financially and environmentally,” says Casici.
According to IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), the value of energy tariffs in January 2022 is well above inflation, with an accumulated increase of 10,38%. This recurrence of tariff increases ended up further boosting the movement towards renewable energy.
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Jonathan Gabriel, CEO of the company Solar House, also noticed the high demand from customers after the adjustment, but believes that this was not the only reason for the increase in demand. “We are coming out of a pandemic and people are returning to dreaming and investing in comfort, there is an increase in the number of people employed. All of this influences.”
The wave of renewable energy has been gaining prominence since the beginning of the year. According to the CCEE (Electric Energy Commercialization Chamber) bulletin, in the SIN (National Interconnected System) alone, the record in the first half of February 2022 was an increase of around 86,2% in solar energy production.
Architect Maria Fernanda de Carvalho says that she received a significant reduction in her electricity bill and that the choice for solar energy went beyond saving on electricity bills: “You contribute to a better and more efficient world”, says Maria and adds: “I've been paying less than R$100 for electricity since I switched to solar energy”.
The Rio native joined the solar project in 2011, when she was building her house. “We are a country that benefits from natural issues and a climate with lots of sunshine, we have everything to take advantage of this new energy system”, concludes Maria.
