EN 
PT_BR 
Electricity sector associations participated in an extraordinary meeting with members of the chamber of deputies on Monday afternoon (19) to discuss the main points of PL 5829 (Bill 5829/19).
The online meeting was called by the government leader at the congress, federal deputy Ricardo Barros (PP-PR). The proposal that establishes the legal framework for DG (distributed generation) should be discussed in the Plenary this Tuesday (20).
The virtual meeting lasted around two hours and associations in favor and against PL 5829 had the opportunity to talk to deputies about distributed generation and express their opinion.
The project's rapporteur, federal deputy Lafayette de Andrada (Republicanos/MG), highlighted the importance of the document. “I want to ratify the spirit of this PL, which is to popularize solar energy and protect what is owed to distributors. There will be no extra costs for those who do not have a GD. However, the law will help to make bills cheaper. I also believe that distributed generation has great capillarity and is a driver of job creation. Especially at this time of pandemic”, highlighted the politician during the meeting.
For Carlos Evangelista, president of ABGD (Brazilian Association of Distributed Generation), the project that has been discussed since 2016, represents consensus. “This PL was widely discussed. Personally, I participated in more than 30 public hearings, with all sides present, including those that took place in state legislative assemblies. The text is ready to be put to a vote. It may not be unanimous, however, it is the text closest to consensus; all sides were heard and are being considered”, stated Evangelista.
Tássio Barboza, Technical Director of ABS (Baiana Solar Energy Association) and Deputy Secretary of Technical Affairs at INEL (National Institute of Clean Energy) highlighted that it was clear that those who are against GD had only one intention at the meeting: to remove the PL from Schedule. “With technical arguments, INEL, together with the other associations, managed to oppose ABRADEE's claim and the PL will remain alive, on the agenda of the week, so that representatives of the population can, finally, define the country's future in relation to energy generated on Brazilian roofs”.
Hewerton Martins, president of MSL (Movimento Solar Livre), also participated in the virtual meeting and highlighted that during the meeting it became clear that there is a narrative of large industrial consumers who buy energy in the so-called Free Market, and have a series of incentives, and of energy distributors who see this market – with the possibility of a person producing their own energy on their roof – a risk for their billion-dollar businesses.
“There was no balanced dialogue, with regard to solar energy distributed in municipalities generating jobs in all municipalities, reducing losses in transmission lines, reducing energy bills even for those who do not have solar energy, since it reduces the investment in local distribution networks and energy is not transported on transmission lines, as it is generated on the roofs of houses”, highlighted Martins.
For him, there was no such understanding because distributors are interested in monopolizing solar energy in their companies' business portfolio. “It’s not a question of being for or against. But yes, they want solar energy as long as it is within their economic groups, within their business portfolio, making access to solar energy unfeasible for the end consumer and for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs”, he added.
One Response
I see hidden interests of distributors looking only at their financial side. I understand that every business must be profitable, but distributors act in an unscrupulous way, by spreading false information, to cause discomfort in the end consumer, who is often poorly informed and does not bother to research in depth.