O Brazil registered in 4th quarter of 2023 o greater import volume of photovoltaic modules of its entire history, according to data from new Greener strategic study on the solar energy DG (distributed generation) market.
The report, with more than 150 pages and which was released this Tuesday (19), reveals that imports reached more than 5 GW between October and December last year.
O numerous exceeds the 4,9 GW registered in the first quarter of 2022, a time when there was a “boom” of optimism in the sector due to the publication of Law 14.300.
O indicator, therefore, it only shows that the country is experiencing a revival in the solar energy market – with the right to a significant price reduction – after a period of difficulties encountered, especially in the first half of 2023.
In addition to the numbers on photovoltaic modules, the new presented report by Greener brings a series of highlights on the behavior of the distributed micro and minigeneration segment in the country in 2023.
One of them shows that the Brazil closed last year with the lower occurrence of equipment distributors with high stocks (11%) versus 18% at the end of 2022.
Os Residential and commercial sizes between 4 kW and 12 kW represent the majority (64%) of projects sold by integrators in 2023. “Commercial sizes showed growth in 2023 compared to the drop in residential sizes”, highlights the study.
Recovery of financing
According to Greener, around 53% of sales made by integrators in 2023 included some type of financing – which represents an important increase in the share of credit compared to 2022, when only 30% of photovoltaic systems sold obtained financing.
It is worth remembering that in first half of 2023, as companies and consumers of the solar energy sector encountered many difficulties in approving financing for photovoltaic projects with the main banks in the country.
This fact was highlighted by the market at the time as one of the main limitations to sales in the sector at the beginning of the year.
The problem occurred due to a series of socioeconomic factors that left most financial institutions afraid of releasing credits for the acquisition of various service goods, including solar energy.
Part of the fear was directly related to the crisis experienced by Lojas Americanas and the maintenance of the basic interest rate at 13,75% per year by the Copom (Monetary Policy Committee), in addition to the political instabilities caused by the change of Government.
In 2023, institutions that financed the most solar energy systems on the market were: Banco BV; Bank of Brazil; Santander; Sicredi and Sicoob.
Main challenges for integrators
The Greener study also highlighted that the main challenge faced by integrators Brazilians in the solar energy market in 2023 it was the too low price offered by the competition.
The problem was cited by 58% of professionals interviewed in the survey. Close behind are difficulties related to credit approval by banks (55%), high interest rates (50%, high competition (44%) and customer prospecting (27%).
Sales channels and expectations for 2024
Although it is still the main sales channel for integrators Brazilians, customer referral recorded a drop compared to previous years, while commercial visits and social networks showed an increase, according to Greener.
In 2023, about 44% of sales made by professionals in the sector came from customer referrals satisfied with their installed systems, against 55%, 54% and 70% in 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
As commercial visits represented 29% – the highest rate ever recorded – while the social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, websites and the like, capitalized on 19% of sales of companies last year.
In relation to andsales expectations for 2024, the Greener study points out that for most companies they are optimistic compared to sales made in 2023.
“The current scenario of a reduction in the Selic rate and, consequently, the interest rate for financing, combined with the drop in equipment prices, may be factors that influence a higher sales expectation for 2024”, assesses the study.
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