Solar panels in favelas generate savings and income in Rio – 05/19/2023 – Market

“We decided to take advantage of the potential of favelas, of the sun hitting the roof of each house, and provide access to electricity in a sustainable way.” It was with this idea in mind that economist Eduardo Avila created Revolusolar.

The non-profit organization emerged in 2015 in the hills of Babilônia and Chapéu-Mangueira, both in the south zone of Rio de Janeiro. Eight years after its founding, it became the first solar energy cooperative in favelas in Brazil, supplying around 60 families.

The initiative came as a formal alternative to the so-called “cats”, that is, theft of electricity. With solar panels, there is no interruption in supply, and the surplus generated by the equipment can be deducted from the electricity bill in the form of a credit.

The NGO maintains itself with the support of private companies, such as Eternit, which supplies material for installing the panels.

All work also follows a methodology to engage and train residents to install and maintain the equipment themselves. According to the organization, more than 50 people have already trained as electricians and solar installers through Revolusolar.

For the economist, Babilônia and Chapéu-Mangueira had the ideal profile to be the pilot of a community energy project. “These are small, safe communities with a history of strong engagement among residents,” he says.

The cooperative consists of solar panels installed on the roof of the Associação de Moradores da Babilônia. The energy that is produced from these panels is shared with homes and businesses in the region. This, according to the NGO, solved the problem of frequent power outages and the high cost of supply — in the cooperative alone, which supplies 30 families, there is an annual saving of BRL 28,000 on the electricity bill.

Four plants supply the cooperative, a hostel, the headquarters of Revolusolar itself, a school and a restaurant. In all, there are 104 solar panels that generate savings of R$ 43,300 annually.

The organization’s next project is the installation of solar tiles, which are more resistant and lighter than panels. The idea is to place this new equipment in the homes of residents in the region.

Revolusolar also holds environmental education workshops for children and teenagers and parallel awareness events to engage more residents with the project.

The company is now working to replicate the initiative at the Museu da Maré, in the favela complex in the north of the city. In addition to the state of Rio de Janeiro, the NGO has a pilot project to install solar energy panels in the Terra Preta indigenous community, in Amazonas.

For this, it has the support of Copime (Coordination of Indigenous Peoples of Manaus and Surroundings), ACINCTP (Indigenous Community Association of Terra Preta) and Ifam (Federal Institute of Amazonas). The aim of the project, which was named Kurasi Tury, is to install solar systems at the Arú Waimi Municipal Indigenous School and train local residents to maintain them.