UFES (Federal University of Espírito Santo) inaugurated this month the largest distributed solar photovoltaic energy mining park in the state, with a capacity of 5.441 kWp and 4.355k Wac. The investment for the installation of the two solar energy production plants was R$ 18 million. The project was developed by Moove Energia Solar in partnership with JA Solar.
In the testing phase, since October last year, as the plants have the capacity to produce 7,7 million kWh / year of electrical energy and supplies for the Goiabeiras and Maruípe fields, a 45,5% reduction in energy consumption electricity on the Goiabeiras campus and 30% on the University's general electricity bill.
To install the two plants, 17.400 panels of 60 PERC 310 and 315w mono cells, 132 GoodWe inverters of 30 and 35kw 127/220V and Solarfix structures were used.
The rector of UFES, Reinaldo Centoducatte, emphasized the importance of solar plants for the sustainable future of the institution. “The operation of these plants provides significant savings on our energy bill, which is relevant in this scenario of budget crisis because they pass public universities, not to mention other factors, such as sustainability”.
Ufes Infrastructure Superintendent, Renato Schwab, highlighted that the project's financial return will be faster due to the efficiency of the panels purchased. “On average, the return on investment in solar plants is six or seven years. In the case of the University, in less than five years it will be possible to recover the investment made with savings on the electricity bill”, highlighted Schwab.
Moove's CEO, Marcelo Orrico, highlighted the importance of the project carried out by the company. “This was a very relevant project for Moove for two reasons: the first is because it is the largest solar photovoltaic project on rooftops in a single consumer unit in Brazil.
And the second reason is because it was a big challenge for our company, as it was the biggest project we have ever undertaken. There are around 17 thousand panels contracted on a full-turnkey basis, where we were responsible for all aspects of the project, from engineering and approval at the dealership, import of equipment, installation, commissioning and start-up, with a 100% Moove team, without outsourcing and with a super tight schedule”.
Claudio Loureiro, general director of JA Solar, highlighted that achieving greater project efficiency is due to the use of high-performance materials. “The panels selected for the project use PERC mono crystalline technology, which JA Solar is a pioneer. Such modules have greater efficiency and power than equivalent polycrystalline modules and perform better at low irradiance. The result is better use of the area, with greater energy generation in kWh per square meter installed.
We believe mono PERC is the best alternative for photovoltaic systems in the short term, where pioneering and opinion-forming companies, such as Moove, have used such technological alternatives to bring real and effective benefits to end customers. Instead of evaluating the system solely by the cost of the equipment, the systems must now be evaluated by their efficiency (kWh produced/Wp installed)”, highlighted Claudio.
