Giorgia Burzachechi Brazil is completing the Irapuru Solar Complex, which will reach 422 MWp and bring the capacity of the Janaúba Solar Complex to 1.6 GWp, to power 1.9 million homes. The project, funded by BNDES, includes a women's empowerment initiative with the training of 70 women to install solar panels.
@elera
With an investment of 600 million Brazilian reais-about 215 million USD-Brazil is about to conclude a solar complex foreseen to generate revenues of 5 million reais, about 1.8 million USD, to the region. Thanks to one of the investors of the project, an initiative of female empowerment was also created, training women to install solar panels.
A major addition to Brazil’s renewable energy infrastructure
The Complexo Solar Irapuru project will comprise seven solar parks with a total installed capacity of 422 MWp. It will expand the already existing Complexo Solar Janaúba, located in Janaúba, Minas Gerais, increasing the combined installed capacity to 1.6 GWp-enough to power 1.9 million homes.
The financing comes from the Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social, or BNDES, and will be arranged through Irapuru Holding S.A., which controls the seven solar parks. Half of the investment will be covered by resources from the National Climate Change Fund – Fundo Clima – with 400 million reais and the Finem program with 200 million reais.
Large-scale infrastructure and job creation
The Irapuru complex will be built over 2,000 acres and will host 750,000 bifacial solar modules. Already, about 70% of the work has been completed in this project, generating around 1,000 direct jobs and 4,000 indirect jobs.
BNDES also financed the larger Complexo Solar Janaúba with an investment of about 1.5 billion reais, approximately 540 million USD. This Minas Gerais solar project has been important not only for ramping up renewable energy generation in Brazil but also for initiating a course in the technical training of women in solar-related areas.
“Women assemblers” initiative promotes inclusion in the renewable energy sector
Through the free course “Donne Montatrici” or “Women Assemblers”, promoted by Elera Renováveis, one of the stakeholders of the project, in partnership with the Gel-Cosampa Consortium and Array, 70 women from Janaúba and the Quem-Quem District, in northern Minas Gerais, have been trained in the pre-assembly of solar trackers. They received over 20 hours of training at the Federal Institute of Northern Minas Gerais on topics such as safety, environmental considerations, and assembly, among others, with the support of experienced professionals.
These women currently take part in enlarging Complexo Solar Janaúba, the largest solar complex in the Southern Hemisphere, and contribute to increasing female representation in renewable energy.
