ND Group Inaugurates Largest Solar Plant in Southern Brazil, Becoming the Country’s First 100% Energy Self-Sufficient Media Conglomerate

The Solar Plant Was Inaugurated in the Municipality of Piratuba, Santa Catarina, and Will Produce Enough Energy to Supply 1,500 Residences

Last week, the inauguration of the largest solar plant in the state of Santa Catarina and all of Southern Brazil took place after nearly 10 years of planning and execution. According to a report by the ND+ website, the ND Group is the company responsible for the solar plant, which is located in the municipality of Piratuba in west-central Santa Catarina.

In total, 5,840 solar panels were installed, occupying an area of 40,000 m² and capable of producing 2.6 MW (megawatts), enough energy to supply 1,500 residences. It is expected that the solar plant will independently support the TVs, newspapers, magazine, portal, and radio affiliated with the company.

The Total Investment for the Installation of the Solar Plant Was R$ 14 Million

The investment for the construction of the facility amounted to R$ 14 million. Thanks to the solar plant, the ND Group is now the first 100% self-sustainable energy communication conglomerate in Brazil, reinforcing its mission to be innovative and set practical examples.

From this perspective, the president of the ND Group, Marcello Corrêa Petrelli, notes that the benefits brought by the new solar plant demonstrate the necessity and opportunity that business owners and ordinary citizens have on their roofs or land to produce the energy they consume. According to him, generating their own energy is advantageous for the municipality, the state of Santa Catarina, and for the entire country.

Nexen Solar Energy Was the Partner Company of the ND Group for the Project, Responsible for Providing the Photovoltaic Structure and Installing the Most Modern Solutions in the Solar Energy Sector

Last Tuesday (the 19th), the inauguration gathered at least 18 mayors from municipalities in the west and west-central regions of Santa Catarina, in addition to state and regional authorities. Nexen Solar Energy, which provides energy throughout Brazil through five thousand integrated systems, was the partner company of the group, having provided the photovoltaic structure.

According to the president of Nexen, André Schumann, winning the bid with the ND Group was a great challenge, but an enormous pleasure. The executive described the partnership as “very good,” as the company had the opportunity to be exposed to the market with the new solar plant. Schumann states that everything that is most modern in the solar energy sector was implemented in this structure, which is, for them, a source of pride.

The municipality of Piratuba was selected after analyzing a software capable of observing solar radiation over a period of 40 years. The largest solar power plant in distributed generation in the state of Santa Catarina was named after the director of technology at the ND Group, Rafael Alexandre Mafra, who was responsible for developing the photovoltaic park.

About the ND Group

The ND Group is a Brazilian media conglomerate based in the city of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina. It was created in 2019, when the Santa Catarina companies of the RIC Group were spun off.

Today, the group includes the newspaper Notícias do Dia, which gave rise to its acronym, as well as 7 TV stations, a magazine, and a news portal. In total, there are 10 outlets that will be powered by energy produced from the new solar plant, the largest in the region.