How to make BESS viable in Brazil? This was the question that guided the fourth panel of the 5th edition of Canal Conecta, held this Monday (20), at CREA-SP, in São Paulo. The meeting brought together representatives from the solar and energy storage industry to discuss the advances and regulatory and economic bottlenecks for the development of the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in the country.
For Irene Sultanum, Sales Manager at Canadian Solar, the application of BESS linked to the load is currently the most viable alternative in Brazil. She emphasized, however, that the potential of microgrids, especially in agribusiness, is also promising. "People make money with the load, but energy rates are not favorable everywhere in Brazil," she noted.
According to Leonardo Cyrino, CEO of Huawei Digital Tec (HDT), there are concrete examples of attractive financial returns. According to him, in at least four concession areas in the country, it is already possible to implement storage projects for peak and off-peak operations with payback periods of less than four years, even in scenarios involving debt.
Cyrino also highlighted opportunities in the use of batteries for heavy electric mobility, such as electric buses, and for improving the quality of the electrical grid – a critical factor for the industry.
"Toyota in Sorocaba has more than R$8 million in losses due to factory shutdowns because the power supply system is at the end of its life. The network is weak compared to the power quality Toyota needs," he explained.
For the executive, opportunities are still quite segmented. "There's no single sector where any solution works, but there are factors that can reduce the payback period, such as lower taxes on batteries," he added.
Harry Neto, director of Solar, BESS and Building at WEG, agrees that storage is more competitive in regions where the grid is saturated, although he also sees potential in microgrids that combine solar, diesel, and batteries. "This market exists in Brazil, it's little explored, but it's not the largest market," he stated.
According to him, the Behind the Meter (BTM) battery segment is beginning to gain momentum. "This market is growing, integrators are selling," said Neto, emphasizing that the secret lies in revenue streams. "You need to find more than one function for the BESS. That's the key," he emphasized.
Cyrino added that integrator training is crucial for market maturity. "We'll only be able to scale when we have integrators who know exactly what they're selling—in terms of compensation, payback, security, and after-sales service—and who can demonstrate these aspects clearly," he assessed.
HDT's CEO also highlighted the high cost of financing battery systems. "There are many banks and funds offering credit for this type of project, and HDT itself does this, but we're talking about market debt at over 2% per month, a very high rate," he noted.
The debate made it clear that the viability of BESS in Brazil depends not only on technological advances, but also on a more competitive business environment, with tax reductions, better credit conditions, and specialized technical training.
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