EN 
PT_BR 
The Guatambu winery, located in the city of Dom Pedrito (RS), is the first in Latin America to operate using solar energy.
In total, the winery's photovoltaic system has 600 panels Canadian and four ABB inverters. A savings generated are around 85% on the electricity bill.
The implementation of the photovoltaic system was carried out by Inove Energias Renováveis, a provider of energy efficiency and solutions, and has an annual energy generation capacity of 180 MW to 200 MW.
According to Valter José Potter, owner and director of the winery, the incentive to generate one's own energy was the high cost of the winery's electricity bill and the desire to produce clean and renewable energy.
A Photovoltaic energy was not Potter's first option, but it became the most economically viable. Before implementing the plants, studies were carried out on the feasibility of wind energy.
“After a year and a half of study, the verdict came: average wind. In short, it would require a large investment in wind generators that would take between 15 and 20 years to pay off. Next, we moved on to the solar energy project. We installed a pilot of 18 solar panels for research and testing over two and a half years and it was a success”, explains the owner.
In 2016, R$ 1.3 million was invested in the implementation of a solar park with 600 photovoltaic panels, with an expected payback of approximately six years.
“I am very satisfied with the investment, so much so that we are already investing in another solar park in order to meet other demands of the farm, such as grain drying, irrigation pumps and the central pivot”, says the owner.
The winery is already planning to have a thousand solar panels installed, the goal is for the entire enterprise to be self-sufficient, including livestock and agriculture.
The system, in addition to energy savings, reduces pollutant emissions and returns surplus production to the energy grid. The initiative to generate one's own energy through sunlight inspired other businesses in the region.
“At first, the other owners believed it would be something out of context, today there are already around 108 houses, seven to eight farms with solar panels, in the region. Also commercial buildings, a rice mill, and even a hospital in Santa Casa, in São Gabriel”, says Potter.
