As the culmination of a landmark event for distributed microgeneration technology in Santa Catarina, on February 20 next, Celesc begins the registration of those interested in the Efficient Bonus Project – Photovoltaic Line.

The project provides for the installation of photovoltaic systems in a thousand homes in the state at a 60% discount. The initiative is being conducted in partnership with Engie, which won the tender bid for installing the systems.

A pioneering project in Brazil given its characteristics, the Bonus will accelerate the dissemination of photovoltaic microgeneration in Brazil by investing R$11.3 million in the ANEEL/Celesc Energy Efficiency Program. Consumers approved on the basis of registration details will have access to a photovoltaic system of 2.6 kWp, paying 40% of the total market cost, that is about R$ 6,700.00.

The main benefit to the consumer following the installation of photovoltaic panels will be the savings on the electricity bill – as much as R$ 2 thousand annually. With this, the individual investment in the system will be recovered in a little more than three years.

Celesc’s CEO, Cleverson Siewert, highlights the merits of the initiative: “This is a unique energy efficiency initiative in Brazil given the subsidy for microgeneration using the photovoltaic system and Santa Catarina will be in the vanguard of this tendency. We are going to be multiplying by four the number of homes in the state equipped with these systems, the total installed capacity increasing from the current 2.8MW to 5.4 MW”.

There are other advantages as well: “The Photovoltaic Bonus stimulates the rational use of electric energy, contributing to the reduction of load in the electrical system and increased diversification of the Brazilian energy matrix, enhancing the use of a clean source of energy”, says Siewert.

Total investment in the project amounts to R$ 17 million, including the R$ 6.7 million expended by the consumer acquiring the system. On taking part in the project, each beneficiary of the scheme will receive five LED lamps.

Participation by interested parties is contingent on meeting the necessary requirements such as a minimum roof-top area of 20m² and an average consumption of more than 350 kWh over the last 12 months (see a complete list below). A thousand consumers who are able to comply with all requirements are expected to sign up to the scheme.

Installation – Installations will be executed by Engie Solar, a subsidiary of Engie, the largest private sector electricity generator in the country. The company has already installed hundreds of photovoltaic systems throughout Brazil.

Engie Solar’s CEO, Rodolfo Souza Pinto, says that installation of the thousand systems will be concluded in 12 months: “All these micro photovoltaic plants will be monitored up to January 2019. We have the experience in this market which guarantees the quality and soundness of our services”.

He also informs that installation will be in “order of registration” by consumers in which the first to enroll will be the first to receive the system although there is a regional criterion as well: “Thus, the order of installation should also be a function of the location of each residence for logistical reasons”, he finalized.

Sustainable – The Efficient Bonus Project – Photovoltaic Line will promote a virtuous cycle of sustainability in the state of Santa Catarina, fostering a culture of energy efficiency associated with distributed solar microgeneration. “Friends, neighbors and family members of consumers that take part in the project will perceive how photovoltaic systems are a viable option for generating energy to supply their own household, using a source of ‘clean’ energy such as solar and will want to invest in the same system as well”, explains Souza Pinto.

Know more – Requirements for taking part in the Efficient Bonus Project – Photovoltaic Line:

• Residential consumer has to be current with its payments to Celesc, in other words there can be no unpaid bills outstanding with the Company;
• Registration (or enrollment) is made via internet. Should all requirements be satisfied, the consumer is included in the installation list but subject to rejection should his consumer unit indicate problems upon the preliminary inspection prior to installation;
• The residence should have a minimum available roof-top area of 20m² for installation, free of any shading by trees, neighboring buildings, etc.;
• The roof should be north facing (with an accepted deviation +/- 30°);
• Inclination of the roof can vary between 20° and 35° in relation to the horizontal;
• The consumer unit must have a monthly consumption of 350 kWh or above over the last 12 months;
• The consumer should have resources available to pay their share of the investment;
• The consumer unit should have access to the internet/WiFi;
• Each consumer may register to receive one 2.6 kWp system.

How does the system work?

• A photovoltaic solar energy system, also called a solar energy system or again a photovoltaic system, can generate electricity through the capture of the sun’s radiation. Isolated photovoltaic systems are installed in remote locations or where the cost of hooking up to the electricity network is expensive. Among such locations would be country homes, refuges, systems of lighting, telecommunications and water pumping, among others. Photovoltaic systems connected to the network replace or complement conventional electricity in the urban electricity network;
• An isolated system requires batteries and load controllers, given that systems connected to the network operate with panels and inverters only since there is no need for energy storage;
• With photovoltaic system installations, existing meters at the consumer units will be replaced by bi-directional meters for registering the amount of energy generated through photovoltaic panels and injected into Celesc’s electricity distribution system;
• In the case of the project’s photovoltaic system, the consumer will generate energy for his own consumption while the excess will be injected into Celesc’s electricity distribution system, transforming into a credit to the consumer. This credit may be used in up to five-years to ‘pay’ for energy which is consumed by the residence with an installed photovoltaic system or in another household consumer unit in the same name as long as it is hooked up to Celesc’s system.

Service:

What? Acquisition of photovoltaic systems for residential microgeneration with a 60% subsidy from Celesc.

When? Registration begins on February 20 at 10:00 a.m.

How? Through http://www.bonusfotovoltaico.celesc.com.br/