EN 
PT_BR 
Aiming for autonomy and energy efficiency, the AMAC (Association of Women of Attitude and Social Commitment), received, on September 17th, the installation of a solar plant.
Located in the community of Dique da Vila Alzira, in Duque de Caxias (RJ), the entity had the Donation in eight Aurora monofacial photovoltaic modules in 550W from the AE Solar.
The manufacturer's 182mm panel series has an efficiency of up to 21.3%, 144 cells, maximum voltage of 42.57 V, maximum current of 12.92 A, dimensions of 2278 mm x 1134 mm x 30 mm and weighs 27 kg.
“When I saw the possibility of bringing solar energy to my territory, Baixada Fluminense, where everything is more difficult for us, and at the same time bringing it not only to the territory, but making sure that residents and young people could look at it as a possibility for personal and professional growth, I didn’t think twice,” he said. Nill Santos, founder It is president from the AMAC.
“When we see solar energy [in our territory], which is cleaner, more ecological energy, better for our planet, we start to really see the possibility of a better future”, he highlighted Gabriel Souza, social educator from the AMAC.
“For us, it is above all an honor to be able to support in a relevant way a project like AMAC, which welcomes and transforms the lives of women in Rio de Janeiro”, he added Ramon Nuche, director LATAM from the AE SOLAR.
According to the executive, the manufacturer is convinced that the new photovoltaic system installed in the community will not only bring savings and better use of the association's resources, but also encourage residents to increasingly adopt sustainable practices in the region.
More project details
AMAC is the third organization that is part of the RFS (Rede Favela Sustentável) to carry out a photovoltaic system installation alongside the RFS. Previous installations were carried out at Ser Alzira de Aleluia (Vidigal), in 2021, and Cooperativa Vale Encantado (Alto da Boa Vista), in 2022.
“Solar installations at the headquarters of favela reference organizations are pilot projects that can be replicated and become examples of public policies”, he pointed out. Gisele Moura, coordinator from the Team in Management from the Sustainable Favela Network.
In the case of the 2023 installation at AMAC, training for installers was carried out by Solarize Professional Trainings. The materials were all donated: the company AE Solar donated the modules, SMA the inverter, the Clamper surge protection devices, SolarGroup the structures, the Almax Energy the tools and Bold Energy entered as a distributor of the panels.
The instruction was carried out by Solarize, which signed the electrical project and conducted the process with the concessionaire. The equipment was installed by community technicians, trained by Solarize, so that the community itself can maintain the system and generate income with this new profession.
“We are an NGO by women for women, for families. This focus is very important, they need cheaper energy, they need this economy to continue offering the essential work they provide to their communities”, he emphasized Hans Rauschmayer, managing partner at Solarize.
Among the technicians who carried out the installation were Edize Maria Santos, whose profession is home installation and is a resident of the neighboring community, Cangulo, in Caxias.
“Solar energy has everything it needs to succeed in our country. But, it depends on the good will of government officials and energy concessionaires, because it is really not in their interest… [for the] population [to be] independent of their energy. Let's hope that everything goes well, so that we can be there with solar in the communities,
in the favelas, in the Amazon,” he added.
Short courses for ambassadors
In parallel to the preparation and installation process, a mini-course was held for solar ambassadors of the Sustainable Favela Network, by Revolusolar, another member of the axis, since the beginning of the RFS.
On the first day of the installation, August 12, 20 mobilizers from other RFS favelas were present at AMAC to follow the process and take knowledge back to their territories.
“It was a huge impact to get here and see the signs up close. We had only seen it online. The potential of solar energy for favela and peripheral territories is enormous, it is very important, it brings sparkles to the eyes”, he commented Matheus Edson, social educator in Rio das Pedras.
“There really is photovoltaic energy inside the favela. It's no one telling me, I'm the one living it. We saw how a solar panel changed an entire community, bringing innovation not to the community, but to the entire state of Rio”, he concluded Gabriel Souza.
