In force since 2020, the own generation of solar energy by Banco do Brasil (BB) gained momentum this month, with the inauguration of four photovoltaic power plants. The developments are located in Xique-Xique, in Bahia, Rio Paranaíba, in Minas Gerais, Loanda, in Paraná, and Lins, in São Paulo, and were built by the energy company EDP.
According to BB, the new plants can generate up to 23 peak megawatts (MWp), a unit that represents the maximum installed capacity under favorable weather conditions and will generate savings of R$ 102.5 million over the 15-year contract. The four plants will offset the energy consumption of 365 branches and make the bank stop emitting around 3,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per year.
With the new plants, BB already operates seven solar energy plants. The first two were opened in 2020, in Porteirinhas, Minas Gerais and in São Domingos do Araguaia, in Pará. Another plant was inaugurated this year in Naviraí, Mato Grosso do Sul.
The project will continue to expand in the coming years. BB has another 22 photovoltaic plants under contract or under construction. According to the financial institution, when all 29 plants are in operation, the energy generated will offset the consumption of around 1,400 branches.
In October, BB’s first two solar plants surpassed the 30 gigawatt-hour mark in power generation since the start of operations. This equates to enough volume to light a city of 150,000 homes for an entire month. Produced in the distributed generation model, the energy enters the system of local distributors, being deducted as a credit on the Banco do Brasil electricity bill.
Social counterparts
The photovoltaic energy generation project has social counterparts. Contracted companies develop actions to benefit local communities, such as planting trees and installing photovoltaic panels in social entities. The distributed generation modality brings gains to the region where the plants are located, such as the creation of direct and indirect jobs, the increase in tax collection in the municipality and the improvement of the energy network.
In addition to solar power plants, BB has a clean energy project for large buildings. The bank migrated 61 buildings to the free energy market, a model that provides for the certified purchase of energy from 100% renewable sources. The institution intends to migrate four more buildings in the coming months.
