EN 
PT_BR 
During participation in the podcast Sun Talk, Gustavo Tegon, sales specialist and co-founder of Esfera Solar, spoke about the current scenario of the international photovoltaic sector and also commented on his expectations for Brazil.
Among the highlights highlighted by the executive are the recent movement in the United States after the inauguration of Joe Biden as president, the resumption of equipment sales in Europe and the growing demand in the Indian market.
“There are several things happening abroad. For example, we had a change of president in the United States. As a result, all the laws and impositions that were introduced by Trump are being removed by Biden – who likes clean and renewable energy,” he said.
“So, the purchase reduction imposed by Trump will not happen. The North American country is once again an active market for global module purchases”, reported Tegon.
Regarding Europe, the executive highlighted that it is an already consolidated segment, but that new technologies are reviving demand in the region. “What happens there? Europeans who already have that old panel – 250 W – installed in their commerce, company, industry or home, no longer want that product. He decided that he will buy new equipment, as the system has already paid for itself.”
“Countries like Italy, France, Portugal and Germany, for example – places where we didn’t imagine purchases would be on a larger scale – have started to change the game, as they are buying a lot. The expectation of sales for this primary sector in Europe was one, and today it is practically three times more”, he pointed out.
The expert also highlighted that the Eastern European market, such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania – which were previously shy in relation to distributed and centralized generation – have also started to invest in these segments. “Europe, which was the card off the table, is once again the card in the center of the table, as is the United States.”
Added to all these movements that, according to Tegon, are impacting demand and, consequently, the entire production chain of the photovoltaic industry, is the measure announced by the Indian government that aims to mature the domestic market.
“We have the Indian government working on a subsidy task force so that the module industry migrates to India, but not the Chinese one, but the national industry itself. The cost of the Indian product, compared to the Chinese, is approximately 7% more expensive. What is the government doing? It is imposing absurd tariffs on this product so that the Indian market stops consuming in China and consumes it domestically”, highlighted the co-founder of Esfera Solar.
Brazilian x international market
Asked about the future of the Brazilian photovoltaic market, Tegon highlighted that Brazil needs to undergo a major reform to be able to compete with the international sector. “The Brazilian government’s mentality needs to be changed. There is no point in discussing this with the current situation.”
“As it is, with the non-competitiveness of the national product, we simply lost opportunities. It pains me to say this, but I don't believe we have a chance to compete with China, as India has pioneered”, he added.
However, for Tegon, Brazil has everything it takes to return to being an industrial country in the coming years as it always was, due to its enormous growth potential. “Our industries are disappearing due to lack of planning, because they are scarce.”
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