Solar complex generates around 4 thousand jobs in Ceará

The state of Ceará has significantly increased its installed solar energy capacity. This is because a 360 MWp photovoltaic plant was inaugurated this month, between the municipalities of Limoeiro do Norte and Tabuleiro do Norte, around 230 km from Fortaleza.

The project called Alex Solar Complex generated around 1,300 direct jobs and approximately 2,500 indirect jobs. Of these, around 70 jobs are linked to the operation of the plant.

According to Elera Renováveis, responsible for the project, 810 thousand photovoltaic modules from Trina Solar were used – which will generate 7,733 MWh per month. Furthermore, it has 81 inverters from Sungrow, 9,009 trackers from Soltec and 1,500 V string boxes from Proauto Solar. 

In total, the company invested R$ 950 million to build the plant – which occupies 830 hectares, an area equivalent to more than 800 football pitches. Of this amount, R$ 4.8 million was allocated to ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) initiatives. 

Among them, the implementation of a photovoltaic system stands out, which will supply 100% of the monthly electricity consumption of the Celestina Colares Philanthropic Hospital, in Tabuleiro do Norte, and will consequently provide savings of R$ 10 thousand for the institution.

More about Alex Solar Complex

In addition to the own resources contributed, the complex received financing worth R$ 448 million from Banco do Nordeste, complemented by funding of R$ 250 million from the capital market.

Another point emphasized is that the project's energy was sold on the regulated market through participation in auctions. “The Alex Complex is Elera Renováveis’ first solar park to come into operation. In addition to having the capacity to generate electricity for almost 1 million homes, it contributes to the social and environmental development of the region”, highlighted Fernando Mano, CEO of Elera Renováveis.

“Alex joins one of the largest photovoltaic parks in Brazil, the Janaúba Complex (MG), which we will complete in 2022 with an installed capacity of 1.2 GWp. When both are in operation, the company will have more than 3.1 GW in operation with solar, water, wind and biomass sources”, added Mano. 

For Renan Garcia, coordinator of Proauto Solar, the Alex project is the company's biggest success story. “We contributed to a plant with a very high standard of technology and quality, making it a reference for the photovoltaic generation market in Brazil”, he highlighted.

“We supply all 1,500 V string boxes with monitoring via Wi-Fi, thus providing plant managers, through a supervisory system, the possibility of monitoring in real time the generation of their more than 27 thousand arrangements and, with this , optimize energy generation as much as possible and correct possible faults in record time”, he highlighted. 

“We were also responsible for providing the important power connection between the string boxes and centralized inverters, through our bimetallic connectors – totaling almost 10 thousand connections”, he concluded.