EN 
PT_BR 
By the end of the year, around 70 state schools in Espírito Santo will count on the Sun's help to meet their electricity demand. According to the state's Sedu (Secretary of Education), more than R$ 16 million has been invested and so far 11 school units already have a photovoltaic system.
One of the units that already has a photovoltaic plant installed is the Iracema Conceição Silva State School of Elementary and Secondary Education, located in Serra.
According to Sedu, in addition to reducing electricity bill costs, the installation of solar panels allows the air conditioning of classrooms and other school environments and shows students the importance of sustainability as a school initiative.
“We are going to install photovoltaic cells in more than 70 schools in the State. In some, installation is already a reality. It is important that we can air-condition classrooms and advance in renewable energy, protecting the environment and saving public resources so that they can be invested in improvements directly to the population”, highlighted Governor Renato Casagrande.
According to Aurélio Meneguelli, Undersecretary of State for Education Support at Sedu, at the end of the installations, the savings will be around R$ 4 million annually in energy bills.
“We are prioritizing low voltage schools with lower payback, and then moving on to medium voltage schools. Payback varies from two and a half years to five and a half years. This action will make it possible to save financial resources to allow the air conditioning of more spaces in schools”, stated Meneguelli.
Holy Spirit
Currently, Espírito Santo has more than 7.4 solar energy systems in distributed generation, spread across all 78 cities in the state, according to data from ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency). There are around 8,400 consumers in Espírito Santo who already have a reduction in their electricity bill and greater autonomy and electrical safety through photovoltaic sources.
Also according to data from the Agency, Espirito Santo is among the twenty Brazilian states with the highest installed power of solar energy in distributed generation, with 97.8 MW in operation in homes, businesses, industries, rural properties and public buildings.
