Distributed solar energy generation is arriving with a vengeance to companies in central and western Brazil, one of the most favored regions for insolation in the country according to data from the Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association (Associação Brasileira de Energia Solar Fotovoltaica – Absolar). Among the pioneering segments adopting the technology is the healthcare business – hospitals, laboratories, medical, dental and veterinary clinics which use a lot of energy to drive machinery and equipment.

“We opened in May and still have only a few patients but I am satisfied with the investment which will reduce our fixed costs”, declares Dr. Ricardo Campos Cruvinel Filho, clinical director and partner of Prover Hospital Dia, Rio Verde (GO). The institution purchased a photovoltaic system of 158 panels with a capacity of 42.66 kWp (kilowatt-peak), designed and executed by ENGIE, the largest private sector company for energy and solutions in Brazil. “We are already seeing savings of 20% in our electricity bills”, the doctor said.

Prover offers specialized medical services in ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, dermatology, mastology, surgeries to the digestive tract and vascular surgeries. The principal demand for energy comes from two autoclaves providing a sterilization function for the operating theater and from the laser equipment. The project is designed to achieve a saving of R$ 42.2 thousand for the hospital in the first year and a return on the investment of R$ 214 thousand over an estimated period of four years.

Guaranteed return

In early 2018, ENGIE installed a photovoltaic 39.22 kWp capacity system at the Clínica de Anestesia, an institution operating in the city of Goiânia with one hundred professionals. The 148 photovoltaic panels installed on the rooftop are able to meet the full demand of the administrative headquarters, generating 58.9 thousand kWh/year with a monthly saving of about R$ 3 thousand. The R$ 313.9 thousand invested in the project and also including improvements to the electrical network infrastructure, is expected to give a return on capital in five to six years.

“We operate throughout central and western Brazil with our own team in the main cities and qualified representatives in others”, says the regional manager for ENGIE’s distributed solar energy, Charles Bispo. He says that the majority of the clients are from the area of agroindustry, healthcare (clinics hospitals), commercial enterprises (bakeries, restaurants and stores), wholesalers and supermarkets, condominiums and residences.

Differently from the south and the southeast regions of Brazil, the clinics and hospitals in the central and western regions enjoy the benefits of their architectural design with low horizontal structures. “This increases the area for installation of the photovoltaic systems and lends the project much more to the solar solution”, Bispo explains. “Besides which, nearly all the clients are in an attractive tariff group for the photovoltaic solution and there is no sign of financial stress in the sector”.

Expansion

This year, Absolar is forecasting that Brazil will see a jump of 44% in its installed photovoltaic solar energy generation capacity, reaching the level of 3.3 Gigawatts (GW). A good part of this growth will be driven by distributed energy. The segment should add another 628.5 Megawatts (MW) to the national electricity system, 125% more than 2018.

With more than 2.3 thousand installations already under its belt in Brazil, ENGIE is one of the leading suppliers of photovoltaic systems, working alongside partners of recognized quality. In 2019, the company plans to double its share of the distributed energy market.