About two months after signing a long-term contract worth R$1 billion with Casa dos Ventos For self-generation of energy, the Carrefour Brazil Group announced a new partnership with GreenYellow to install solar energy systems in 54 of the company's stores. The project will include units of the Carrefour, Atacadão and Sam's Club brands, which are part of the retail group.
The project foresees investments of R$ 100 million from GreenYellow and will have an installed capacity of approximately 38 MWp. The expectation is that the systems will produce around 56 GWh of energy per year, a volume sufficient to meet, on average, 30% of the electricity consumption of the stores included in the initiative.
One of the project's distinguishing features is the adoption of the model known as GridZeroIn this system, all the energy generated by the photovoltaic systems is consumed on-site, without sending surplus energy to the electrical grid. The installation of the plants began in the first week of June and is expected to be completed within 12 to 14 months.
The contract signed between the companies has a duration of ten years, and at the end of that period, the equipment will become the property of Carrefour Brazil. Currently, the retailer already operates 19 units powered by solar systems in the Grid Zero model.
In addition to reducing energy costs, the initiative will also contribute to the company's sustainability goals. According to the companies, the systems should prevent the emission of approximately 2 tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) per year, a volume equivalent to planting about 10 trees.
Energy as a service
The project was structured according to the model. Energy as a Service, in which GreenYellow is responsible for developing, financing, implementing, and operating all the necessary infrastructure, without requiring any initial investment from Carrefour.
In this model, the company undertakes all stages of the project, including design, equipment acquisition, system installation, and operation. In return, the client pays for the service and gains access to energy at more competitive costs without needing to invest in their own infrastructure.
Reduced dependence on the network
The Carrefour Group's choice of the model GridZero This comes at a time when the electricity sector is discussing the impacts of the increasing integration of distributed generation (DG) on distribution networks.
Since there is no export of surplus energy to the grid, the model reduces the need for interaction between photovoltaic systems and the distributors' infrastructure, a topic that has gained relevance amid debates about reverse flow and restrictions on connecting new projects.
With information from CNN Brazil.
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