“Our motto is 'ing Your Energy', that says it all! We have improved to meet the needs of those in the field, whether in of speed of installation, ease, unification of parts or logistical problems that distributors encounter in their day to day.”, said Norberto Da Costa, founding partner of Galileo Photovoltaic Systems.
During episode #119 of the fourth season of the Papo Solar podcast, broadcast on Tuesday (4), Norberto Da Costa and Victória Trevisan, Development and Technical Customer Service Engineer at CSN (Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional), participated to discuss the photovoltaic structures market in Brazil.
“We are at a time of developing new steels for the market and one of them is photovoltaic, which is on the rise,” added Victória.
Ensuring the quality of structures is essential in the development of photovoltaic projects, as it guarantees efficiency, longevity and , whether on the ground or on the roof. For this reason, investments have been made in new solutions for photovoltaic structures.
Corrosion resistant structure
“COR 420 steel creates a natural barrier against the elements, making it an ideal option for solar structures, eliminating concerns about corrosion and reducing maintenance costs,” explained Victória Trevisan.
COR 420 steel, supplied by CSN, has a special chemical composition that allows the formation of a protective patina when exposed to oxygen, creating a natural barrier against corrosion and increasing the durability of structures.
“To the naked eye, this patina is reddish, orange and appears on the material in with oxygen. It creates a protective barrier on the material, preventing its corrosive process.”
“It is up to four times more resistant to corrosion than other common steels,” she highlighted.
According to Norberto Da Costa, Galileo chose this material due to the need for more durable structures capable of lasting the life of the solar modules. In addition, COR 420 steel also stands out for its reduced environmental impact.
“COR 420 has a longer life cycle and avoids constant maintenance, which represents a competitive advantage for the EPC contractor and the investor,” added Da Costa.
“If you are doing a project with a lifespan of 25, 30 years, the structure has to keep up with that for you. And for those who think it is much more expensive, the quality-price ratio over time is very good,” he highlighted.
New opportunities: Solar Carports
“The carport market in Europe is growing a lot. In Europe, there are a lot of space restrictions, so they started to energize the parking lots”, explained Norberto Da Costa.
According to the guest, this generation model, which has already been consolidated in Europe, should gain strength in Brazil in the coming years.
The largest solar carport in Brazil, located in Sorocaba (SP), has an installed capacity of 3 MW and was developed by a former student of Canal Solar. Check out the video of this project:
Testing and certification of photovoltaic structures
In addition to the quality of the steel, to ensure the safety and resistance of the photovoltaic structures, Galileo uses two simulation programs, which allow wind tunnel simulations, to validate the resistance of the structures in different climatic conditions.
“The structures are designed to withstand winds of up to 50 meters per second. In addition to the wind tunnel simulation, we are testing in the field. Thus, more than 22 MW have already been sold,” explained Da Costa.
Photovoltaic market trends for 2025
“Firstly, I think there will be growth in energy storage. Solutions such as BES and batteries should expand even more rapidly in the market. In Italy, for example, of every 10 residential photovoltaic systems sold, 7 already have batteries,” highlighted Norberto Da Costa.
“I recently saw on Canal Solar that battery costs are falling again, making these solutions even more competitive. This should boost the market.”
Solar storage systems became 30% cheaper this year, says Solfácil
According to the expert, the sector's growth will also be driven by the advancement of electric vehicles and the need for charging infrastructure, which will demand more energy.
“In addition, I believe we will continue to see a large volume of centralized solar generation, but distributed generation, especially on rooftops, should grow even more,” he concluded.
Watch the full episode
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