The electricity sector is undergoing a period of intense transformation. The transition to a low-carbon economy and technological innovations (such as the growth of distributed generation, energy storage, smart grids and electric vehicles) will shape the future of utilities. New business frontiers will be created and consumers will gain a new and more active role, potentially becoming, for example, energy generators by installing photovoltaic panels in their homes.
Aware of this scenario, in May of this year, CPFL Energia created Envo, which operates in the distributed solar generation market with solutions for residential and small commercial customers. The initial focus will be on cities in the Metropolitan Region of Campinas and the regions of Sorocaba, Jundiaí and surrounding areas. There are plans to expand operations to other cities in the State of São Paulo in the future. With this initiative, the CPFL Group is consolidating a new stage in its relationship with consumers, who are increasingly aware and demanding.
Envo works in all stages of the project, from the technical design to the acquisition and installation of solar panels, in addition to the approval of access by its client to the distributor. Consumers interested in developing a solar distributed generation project have access to a simulator on the website (www.envo.com.br), which – based on the insertion of information on monthly energy consumption and the location of the property – suggests a design reference for the consumer unit.
When investing in solar generation for your home or small business, the consumer takes on the role of prosumer, producing the energy it consumes, with the potential to reduce your electricity bill by up to 95%.
Distributed solar generation is one of the most promising markets in the electricity sector. According to a technical note also released in May of this year by the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel), it is estimated that, in 2024, more than 850 thousand residential and commercial consumers could generate their energy, the equivalent of 3.2 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity. Today, the country has just over twelve thousand micro and minigeneration connections. In Germany, distributed microgeneration accounts for more than 15 thousand MW of installed capacity, which shows the potential of the technology. According to projections from the 2024 Ten-Year Plan of the Energy Research Company (EPE), a state planning agency for the electricity sector, the solar source (which includes centralized parks and distributed generation) should account for 3.3% of the electricity matrix in 2024, an exponential leap in relation to the current 0.2%.
In addition to Envo, CPFL Energia is involved in other initiatives in the segment, such as the “Solar Roofs” research and development project, which installed photovoltaic panels in 231 homes and commercial establishments in the Barão Geraldo neighborhood, in Campinas (SP), to assess the impacts of microgeneration on the electrical grids of distributors and prepare the Group for the commercial expansion of the segment in Brazil.
With these initiatives, CPFL Energia works to achieve four of its priority Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): investing in clean and affordable energy generation by promoting solar mini-generation, expanding the participation of renewable sources in the electricity generation matrix (SDG 7); seek the development of sustainable cities and communities, reducing the negative per capita environmental impact of urban agglomerations with greater access of the population to clean sources of generation (SDG 11); foster innovation and efficiency in the production chain with the adoption of new technologies that create value for society and modernize infrastructure (SDG 9); and contribute to combating global climate change and its impacts (SDG 13).
