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An estimate by the Institute of Energy and Environment (IEMA) published in the scientific journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy foresees a total cost of 38 billion reais (7.4 billion dollars) for photovoltaic modules, batteries and inverters.
The team from the Institute of Energy and Environment (Iema), based in São Paulo, published in July this year the scientific article “ Photovoltaic systems, costs, and electrical and electronic waste in the Legal Amazon: An evaluation of the Luz para Todos Program ” in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews . The research evaluated the capacity of the sector’s agents to meet the demand for universal access to electricity through the national program for universal access to and use of electricity, Luz para Todos, including the economic aspects involved in the universalization process and the waste management and reverse logistics of these systems. The study considers the service to isolated communities and systems in the Amazon.
The results indicate a demand for up to 15 million photovoltaic modules, batteries and inverters, at a cost of 38 billion reais (about 7.4 billion dollars). Over 33 years, between 58,000 and 234,000 tons of electronic waste would be generated.
“The work evaluates the Light for All Program and solar and battery technologies to serve remote communities,” summarizes Vinícius Oliveira, one of the authors of the study and project manager at Iema. “The consolidation of the results shows the physical and economic dimension of access. In addition, the research shows that it can be less expensive for the population, which today has energy from oil-based generators or is in the dark, by providing cheap and quality energy. If the economic orientation of public policies acted on the capital cost of the systems, the price of electricity from these systems could be lower than the price of energy charged by local distributors. This action, added to the existing social electricity tariff, could alleviate energy poverty,” he adds.
The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of the systems ranges from R$477/MWh to R$1,189/MWh or from US$92/MWh to US$230/MWh, including the cost of installation, operation and decommissioning related to the electricity generated during the lifetime of the systems.
The review of international studies showed that photovoltaic systems are the most widely used to bring access to electricity to remote regions and there is no scientific literature on the management and reverse logistics of waste from renewable sources in remote regions; the Legal Amazon lacks adequate infrastructure to manage this electronic waste. It should be recalled that the Light for All Program aims to universalize access to public electricity services in remote regions of the Legal Amazon using renewable energy sources. A diversification of renewable energy sources could reduce the waste generated by photovoltaic equipment and stimulate the development of a service chain in regions that will now have access to electricity services.
“A review of more than a hundred international scientific publications points to a trend towards using solar energy to universalise access in remote regions. Therefore, LpT could become a great global example of public policy, by scaling up the use of this technology in a large territory such as the Amazon,” says Fabio Galdino dos Santos, one of the authors. The publication is co-authored by Vinícius Oliveira da Silva, Fabio Galdino dos Santos, Isis Nóbile Diniz, Ricardo Lacerda Baitelo and André Luis Ferreira. |
