The average savings, when using solar energy instead of electricity, reaches up to 90%. The estimate is from the Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy (Absolar).
The sector, which has been growing a lot in Brazil, already occupies the 3rd place in energy generation, second only to wind and electricity.
The country surpassed the mark of 19 gigawatts (GW) of installed power from the photovoltaic solar source. Of this total, 13 are for installed power on roofs, facades and small plots of land. The remainder corresponds to large-scale plants.
The number is considered historic by the sector and, based on them, the National Confederation of Industry (CNI) estimates that the installed capacity could double by the beginning of next year.
The president of Absolar, Rodrigo Sauaia, said that the increasing readjustments in electricity bills and the reduction of costs for installing photovoltaic panels explain the growth of this type of energy in the country.
Solar energy is considered a clean source, which does not produce waste or pollution. According to Absolar, this energy avoided the emission of almost 28 million tons of CO2 (carbon dioxide) in the generation of electricity.
The installation cost, however, is not low. For residences, the average price is R$ 25,000 and for industries, up to R$ 200,000. Sauaia also stated that these values should fall. As the reduction in monthly bills is high, the investment is recovered in a few years.
Since 2012, according to data from Absolar, solar energy has guaranteed R$ 10 billion in new investments in Brazil, in addition to 640,000 jobs. The collection to the public coffers was almost R$ 40 billion.
