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On Instagram, the page “Solar da Depressão” (a play on words in Portuguese that can be translated as Solar Depression) run by a masked engineer began without pretensions, became an audience phenomenon in the solar sector, it has more than 62 thousand followers and 12 sponsors, and its mission is to warn companies and consumers about mistakes to avoid. Reporting on the worst installation errors in the solar market has given visibility to the Solar da Depressão channel on Instagram, which has more than 62,000 followers and 12 sponsors interested in guaranteeing the quality of services provided by Brazilian integration companies. Anyone who has never visited Solar da Depressão is missing out on a good laugh and also reasons to wonder “what was that installer thinking?” The channel presents the worst mistakes made in photovoltaic installations in Brazil and, possibly, in other countries. The creator of the page, who presents himself as El Enmascarado and prefers to remain anonymous, began saving photos and videos of bad installations received in WhatsApp groups to show them to his clients, as a way of warning them of the importance of choosing a company. serious and committed to quality and safety standards. Speaking with pv magazine during the 360 ??Solar event in Florianópolis, El Enmascarado , creator of Solar da Depressão, told us his motivations for starting the channel. “I used to tell my clients: price is not everything, so be very careful because not everyone can carry out a quality photovoltaic project and strictly follow the technical standards and best practices in the sector.” In order not to lose the photos and videos saved on his phone, he created the Instagram account amateurishly, just so he could show it to his clients. “It was a totally unpretentious affair, because I wasted a lot of time looking for that video of the guy stepping on the module. The idea was simply to show it as a warning to clients about the risk of hiring unprepared companies. If you have a budget much cheaper than the market standard, you have to be wary. What I suggest is to investigate the installations that the company has already done,” she says. “The name Solar da Depressão was the first one that came to mind and when I searched for it, this account was available, so I didnt think twice. I also didnt ask people to follow the account or spend money to boost the channel. “Everything happened organically and unexpectedly,” explains The Masked Man . Most common and strange errors in photovoltaic installations Currently, the Solar da Depressão channel receives photos and videos uploaded by its followers almost daily and the most common error, according to the businessman, is that the installers step on the modules during installation. “I always say that one of the great advantages of solar energy is that the modules have a 25-year warranty and when you step on them, it is impossible to eliminate the internal microcracks. When the warranty is used, the first thing that is done is a mapping with a thermal imaging camera that identifies the step immediately. It is a huge investment to hire unprepared companies,” he says. In another case cited by the creator of the page, the inverter was installed outside the home, which increased the exposure of the equipment not only to sun and rain, but also to possible theft. Anonymity and followers of Solar da Depressão The first publication on the channel was in 2020. Only a year and a half later the first sponsor arrived. “The first company that opted for this project was Canadian Solar and, even during the pandemic, the way to reach integrators was through live broadcasts. They invited me to the first online presentation and I preferred not to show my face and leave the image capture closed. After that first experience, I felt that I needed to interact more with the participants and I already chose a mask for the next living ones. The mask is a form of protection against some integrators who are not happy with their projects being shown on the channel. I also dont want to confuse my role as a businessman with the canal project. He emphasizes that the intention of the page is not to defame companies. In fact, care is taken when receiving contributions so that the page is not used by companies that want to defame the competition. Furthermore, the names or faces of the installers do not appear in the posts. “There must be a very clear error. The intention is to warn the sector so that it does not make these mistakes again.” The success of Solar da Depressão is so great that the channel already has 26 sponsors with annual contracts and a package of one post in the feed and four stories per week. The page currently has the support of 12 companies such as JA Solar, Sungrow, Solplanet, among others. The masked businessman has a degree in engineering from a renowned federal university in Brazil, has a Masters degree in Business Management from the Getulio Vargas Foundation and more than 15 years of experience in large infrastructure projects. For four years he has been managing partner of a solar energy integrator with more than 500 projects in its portfolio, totaling more than 11 MW of installed power in distributed micro- and mini-generation projects. In an interview given to pv magazine , El Enmascarado listed the main mistakes that lead to the positions of Solar da Depressão: 1 – Lack of technical visit prior to signing the contract. 2 – Not reading the manufacturers manual. 3 – Make corrections to the inclination of the roof structures. 4 – Lack of prior structural evaluation of the roof. 5 – Inadequate location to install the inverters. 6 – Incorrect installation of the inverters. 7 – DC/AC device in the same electrical panel/conduit. 8 – Not providing a circulation/maintenance area. 9 – Walk/climb on the photovoltaic modules. 10 – Incorrect choice of investors/technology on certain occasions. 11 – Installations with constant shadows |
