Americanas Plans to Launch Two Solar Power Plants by June

Americanas Plans to Open Two Solar Power Plants to Expand Its Share of Renewable Energy

Americanas announced last Friday (12) that it will open two solar power plants by June to increase the share of energy consumed by the group from renewable sources, currently at 30%.

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Americanas Already Has Four Plants

Americanas already has four of its own power plants, consisting of three hydroelectric plants and one biogas plant, which fully supply energy to around 150 units. The production occurs in four plants in Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais.

Additionally, since 2016, the company operates in the free energy market as a special client, also purchasing electricity from renewable sources to supply around 130 large stores, distribution centers, and offices.

“The significant savings in expenses, combined with energy efficiency, reinforces the idea that this connection is feasible and profitable,” said Carlos Padilha, the director of investor relations and sustainability at Americanas.

Growth of the Solar Energy Market in Brazil

In recent years, it hasn’t been difficult to find rooftops of houses, commercial establishments, and industries in the state increasingly adorned with solar panels facing the sky, aimed at capturing solar energy.

From small solar panels to long rows spreading across rooftops, this energy alternative has seen recent growth: between 2019 and 2020, the capacity for generating clean and renewable electricity through the sun jumped from 4.6 gigawatts (GW) to 7.5 GW in the country. A growth of 63%, even amid a challenging year marked by the pandemic.

The forecast is that the trend will continue, and this number will reach 12.6 GW this year. The generation capacity assessment includes large plants (centralized generation) and small to medium systems installed on roofs, facades, and land (distributed generation). This figure represents more than half of the installed capacity at the Itaipu hydroelectric plant, the largest in Brazil and the second largest in the world.