Following months of preliminary research, Ind\u00fastria de Ra\u00e7\u00f5es Geraleite of S\u00e3o Gotardo, in the Alto Parana\u00edba region, state of\u00a0Minas\u00a0Gerais, is unveiling its own photovoltaic plant, project and installation the responsibility of ENGIE. The plant consists of 794 modules of 275Wp\u00a0installed over an area of 1,428 square meters and a generation capacity of 218\u00a0 kWp. The estimated period for return on investment is 3.7 years and the expected annual saving on the electricity bill for the company is R$ 135 thousand, totaling more than R$ 3.3 million over the life of the system.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe researched different options of system and received more than a dozen proposals from suppliers before deciding on ENGIE, thanks not only to the conditions offered but also because we have first-hand experience as to the efficiency of a system installed by the company at the Max Min Clube in Montes Claros, in the north of the state. \u201cAnd as they say,\u00a0mineiros<\/em> (the state\u2019s inhabitants) need to see to believe, OK\u201d, says administrator, Frederico Prados Lima. \u201cProprietary production of photovoltaic energy for the industry will be limited to 65%, since we already have another source of supply under a contracted demand agreement, so for the time being we have chosen to maintain the percentage at this level\u201d, he explains.<\/p>\n

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Solar energy on the farms as well<\/strong><\/p>\n

The advantages of photovoltaic energy have caught the imagination of the entire family of the animal feed plant owner, Osanan Pereira Caixeta. Osanan himself is also adopting solar energy at all his milk production farms. At Osanan\u2019s Rio Parna\u00edba farm, the photovoltaic plant is already operating with an even higher generation capacity than the industry: 267.3 kWp, installed on the roof of a barn over an area of 1772 square meters. The estimate for the farm is that the proprietary production of energy reduces costs by 85% and saves more than R$ 300 thousand annually.<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, in addition to Osanan, two other brothers and a cousin also have two photovoltaic plants on order from ENGIE. Together, already in the first year savings will be around R$ 300 thousand for the family farms. \u201cRecent innovation in dairy herd management with the adoption of the confinement system in which the dairy cows are housed in sheds, means that milk production now requires much more electricity to run the ventilation equipment\u201d, Lima explains. \u201cAs a result, photovoltaic solar energy comes as an excellent alternative for rural producers: once the investment is paid off, the producer can enjoy an energy source at a very low maintenance cost\u201d, he concludes.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIndeed, the high levels of solar radiation in the region make the investments especially attractive for rural producers, having an average\u00a0payback\u00a0of about three years\u201d, explains Rodrigo Kimura, the director for the solar area at ENGIE,\u00a0 the largest private sector electric energy generator in the country and responsible for installing the mini and micro photovoltaic plants in the region. \u201cIn addition, producers have space available in their own barn infrastructures, facilitating installation and reducing still further cost overheads\u201d, he exemplifies.<\/p>\n

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ENGIE is a leader in the distributed solar generation market chalking up some 1,900 systems already installed. The company operates aggressively in the segment of residential photovoltaic systems, but also having important projects for agribusiness as well as the industrial sector through the Solar Industry Program which is being implemented by ENGIE and the federations of industry for the states of Santa Catarina (FIESC), Mato Grosso (FIEMT) and Rio Grande do Sul (FIERGS).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An average return of three years and prospects for reducing by up to 90% the costs of the energy bill are attracting an animal feed plant and producers to the Alto Parana\u00edba dairy farming hub<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-21599","imprensa","type-imprensa","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tipo-release-solutions"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n