Brazil’s WNI Smart Energy to activate 15 solar plants this quarter

Brazil's WNI Smart Energy, the solar unit of Curitiba-based WNI Technology Group, plans to start operations at 15 new solar plants in the country this quarter.

The facilities are being built in the southern states of Paraná and Santa Catarina, the company said in a statement. WNI Smart Energy claims that it already serves more than 100 customers in all of Brazil's regions except for the north.

The WNI group offers video monitoring solutions, connectivity via radio and fiber optics, and smart energy through photovoltaic systems and public lighting, among other business lines.

The WNI Smart Energy unit provides the design, installation, monitoring, operation, maintenance and support of photovoltaic power generation systems for individual customers and firms.

One of the company's most recent projects was a solar plant for local fiberglass product manufacturer GM Fibras.

Dubbed AC Central Geradora Fotovoltaica (UFV) GM Fibras, the plant is located in São José dos Pinhais, Paraná state, and it went live last July. It has the capacity to generate 100MWh per year, WNI said.

The photovoltaic plant has 142 solar panels of 530Wp, occupying an area of 450 square meters.

In the first six months of operation, accumulated generation at GM Fibras' plant was 59,000kWh. GM Fibras expects to obtain the full return on its investment in up to 3.5 years. Investment figures for the project were not disclosed.

“We know that the high energy consumption of plants makes solar energy for industries more important every day. This renewable source, in addition to substantially reducing the cost of power bills, significantly reduces our environmental footprint. And this directly influences the operation and maintenance of factories when it comes to costs and savings,” João Carlos Miranda, CEO of GM Fibra, said in a statement.

Photovoltaic solar energy has become the second largest energy source in Brazil. Last week, solar energy reached 23.9GW of installed power in operation nationwide, compared with 23.8GW of wind power, according to solar industry association Absolar.

Brazil's solar projects are expected to add another 10GW of installed capacity this year, representing 50bn reais [US$9.52bn] in new investments," Absolar president Rodrigo Sauaia told BNamericas last week.