The Brazilian retail and services sector has been investing more and more resources in energy efficiency projects, with the aim of finding alternatives to reduce electricity bills and also help the environment. This is the case of companies like Lojas Cem, which, earlier this week, announced on social media that it is installing solar s in all of its stores.
Magazine Luiza was not left out either. In July last year, the company had already closed an agreement with GreenYellow to install solar energy in 214 of its 1,1 stores. The partnership included investments of around R$18 million.
Shortly afterwards, in February this year, it was Lojas Americanas' turn to announce the inauguration of two new solar generation plants. With delivery scheduled for July, the group aims to increase the share of energy from renewable sources to 30%.
The energy produced by the plants will be distributed to around 70 physical stores in the chain, in Pernambuco and the Federal District. The company currently has four of its own plants, three hydroelectric and one biogas, with which it supplies around 150 units.
Another segment that has also been making moves are large supermarket and wholesale chains. The Assaí Atacadista group, for example, set a goal this year to reduce its carbon emissions by 30% by the end of 2025. To this end, it is working to migrate 100% of its 2020 store network (184 units) to the free energy market by December of this year, using sources such as wind, solar and biomass.
Benefits
According to data from ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency), the commercial sector – which includes retail and services – currently occupies second place in the ranking among consumer classes, being responsible for almost 73 thousand systems installed in the country (15% of the total) and more than 2 GW of installed power (36,7%), behind only the residential market.
According to Alexandre Borin, manager of the solar unit at Fronius do Brasil, with photovoltaic energy, a Brazilian store owner can generate enough electricity to maintain his refrigeration system for 24 hours, as well as lighting, air conditioning and movement of ovens and other equipment. , at a cost of 80% to 95% lower than conventional electricity, depending on the size of the installation.
The executive also highlighted that, considering the useful life of the system, estimated at 20 years, an investment with a return in just a quarter of that period is already more than excellent for any business, “especially for retail, which normally works with margins lows due to high competitiveness”, he highlighted.
