With growing and the consolidation of solar energy in Brazil, a regulation responsible for this market has been undergoing changes significant over the years last years.
Such changes affect consumers and investors who wish to reduce electricity bills in their homes and businesses through photovoltaic generation.
Em January 7nd of this year, the new rules for energy compensation injected into the distribution network by the distributed micro and minigeneration.
In this way, some components, depending on the type and size of the generation project, will no longer be compensated gradually for consumers.
Among the components, the TUSD (Tariff for Using the Distribution System) Wire B and Wire A, portions responsible for covering the costs of distributors and transmitters, respectively.
With the aim of helping those who wish to invest in DG photovoltaic systems and understanding that there is a fear about the viability of these investments with the transition rules in force, the greener published case study elucidating what are the impacts of the new rules.
The data used was provided through the company's strategic studies, based on direct information from market participants and tariff conditions from electricity distribution concessionaires.
Residential case
In the case of a residence intending to install a photovoltaic system, the scenarios designed by Greener point to a small increase in payback (investment return time), taking into the reduction in the compensable portion due to the transition rules set out in Law 14.300. Such scenarios were analyzed using 4 kWp systems and with an installation cost of 4,88 R$/Wp.
Considering that the return time on investments depends on the installation values and mainly on the tariffs applied by the electricity distribution concessionaires in each state, the table below shows the increase, in years, in the payback systems in the case of consumers from three distributors.
What is observed, in the case of residential systems served by these three distributors, is an average increase of 15% in payback.
With an increase of 19%, CEMIG demonstrated a greater increase in the return on investment time, while the case of ELEKTRO showed an increase of only 9%.
Business case
Analyzing a 50 kWp commercial system, Greener also noticed an increase in payback, however, less significantly. With a lower installation cost for these systems, 3,88 R$/Wp, the return on investment time is shorter and so is the impact of Law 14.300.
In the case of commercial systems, the table below shows an average increase of 13% in payback. Among the three distributors analyzed, CEMIG consumers who wanted to install this type of system would be most impacted, with a 15% increase in the return on investment time. On the other hand, in the case of ELEKTRO, the increase reaches 9%.
After all, is it still viable to invest in solar DG in Brazil?
According to the Greener study, what can be seen is that the return time on investments was changed after the transition rules proposed by Law 14.300 came into force. However, in general, the difference is not significant enough to make them unfeasible.
“Generating your own electrical energy through these systems and reducing expenses with electricity bills still proves to be a type of investment with high profitability and low risk, compared to other types in the capital market, such as fixed income, with low risks. but also with lower income”, reports the research.
According to Grenner, for consumers who wish to have solar energy in their homes through DG, it is important to be willing to see a return on their investments over a longer period of time.
“However, taking as an example the cases of residences in the regions of the aforementioned distributors, the most impacted case increases payback in less than 1 year. The same occurs with commercial systems which, with lower investment values per kWp, are even less affected”.
Furthermore, the study highlights that the enactment of Law 14.300, together with subsequent regulation by the ANEEL, brings greater regulatory stability and legal certainty to the sector.
“In this way, Brazil becomes a country still more attractive to receive foreign investments, increase the search for solar generation and further develop its market”.
Therefore, according to Greener, anyone who was unable to file their solar project before the deadline for entry of the new compensation rules should keep in mind that the new compensation rules increase the return time on investments, but not significantly.
“The possibility of actively participating in the energy transition taking place in Brazil and around the world and increasing its independence as a generating consumer will continue to be strengthened and attractive through the advancement of DG in the country”, concludes the study.
