Intelligent CIO LATAM Issue 22 | Page 73

LAST YEAR , INSTALLED SOLAR ENERGY CAPACITY IN THE COUNTRY GREW MORE THAN 60 %, AND IN RECENT MONTHS , THE GROWTH RATE HAS BEEN NEARLY 1 GW PER MONTH .
INDUSTRY WATCH

LAST YEAR , INSTALLED SOLAR ENERGY CAPACITY IN THE COUNTRY GREW MORE THAN 60 %, AND IN RECENT MONTHS , THE GROWTH RATE HAS BEEN NEARLY 1 GW PER MONTH .

with 51.3 % – occurs amidst a significant growth in the wake of economic incentives for the installation of small to large photovoltaic plants , given the lower costs of the source and its environmental benefits .
Last year , installed solar energy capacity in the country grew more than 60 %, and in recent months , the growth rate has been nearly 1 GW per month .
It was expected for the energy supply model , which remained in continuous growth since 2012 when consumers could generate their own energy . Thus , WNI Smart Energy has announced the activation of GM Fibras ’ first solar plant : The Photovoltaic Generating Center ( UFV ) GM Fibras , located in the city of São José dos Pinhais , in the metropolitan region of Curitiba , Brazil .
The UFV GM Fibra , which began operations in July 2022 , has completed nine months of operation and can generate 100 MWh per year , which would be sufficient to power a neighborhood with 658 households . The UFV is composed of 142 modules of 530 Wp , occupying an area of 450 m ².
According to Ludfor ’ s environmental compensation calculation , the plant will avoid the emission of approximately 12.5 tons of CO 2 yearly , equivalent to 1,264 preserved tree seedlings for 25 years .

Photovoltaic solar energy is the second largest source of Brazil ’ s power grid , reaching 23.9 gigawatts ( GW ) of operational installed capacity , surpassing wind power with 23.8 GW , according to a survey by the Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy ( Absolar ).

The importance of solar energy for the country – 11.2 % of the grid , now ranking second only to hydropower ,
In the first six months of plant operation , the accumulated generation was 58,993 kWh , which has already generated a saving of almost R $ 50,000 . GM Fibras expects to obtain the whole return on investment within 3.5 years ( considering the value of R $ 0.80 per kWh ).
WNI Smart Energy , which already serves more than 100 customers in the Southern , Southeastern , Central- Western and Northeastern regions , was the partner
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