New Safra plan’s focus on implementing sustainable systems can help grow PV use in agriculture, industry expert predicts
The new 2023-2024 Collection Plan announced by the federal government this month focuses on sustainability and provides more incentives for environmentally sustainable agricultural production systems than in the previous edition. The Safra Plan aims to support the agricultural sector by offering financial incentives to rural producers of all sizes.
This year’s program provides for a total of R$364.22 billion in rural credit for investments in the agricultural sector, an amount which is 26.8% higher than the amount allocated in the previous plan. There are 13 funding programs that encourage the modernization and innovation of production activities, such as Inovagro, which is intended for investments in technological innovations, and Moderagro, which provides incentives for environmental conservation.
One of these 13 programs, Renovagro (Program for the Financing of Sustainable Agricultural Production Systems) is divided into three categories and provides funding of up to R$5 million for the recovery of legal reserves and the implementation of alternative energy systems. Other types of incentives aimed at environmental conservation are the reduction of interest rates to favor the recovery of pastures and financial rewards for rural producers who adopt sustainable agricultural practices.
Towards energy self-sufficiency in the agri-food sector
One of the alternative energy systems that can benefit from Renovagro’s incentives is photovoltaic energy. Sue Ellen Lourenção, administrative and financial director of iLuminus Energia Solar in Patrocínio (MG), explains that “by offering subsidies, credits or tax rebates for alternative energy systems, the government facilitates farmers’ access to agro-photovoltaic systems”.
He points out that the focus on sustainability in this edition of the Plan can help promote energy self-sufficiency on farms, “by combining agricultural production with clean energy generation, offering various incentives for the use of solar energy on farms , such as specific areas of credit lines, technical training, research promotion, among others”
Second latest data from ABSOLAR (Brazilian Association of Solar Photovoltaic Energy), the rural sector absorbs 14.7%, in terms of installed capacity, of the solar photovoltaic energy distributed in Brazil. For comparison, the industrial sector corresponds to 6.8%. In total there are 176,605 photovoltaic lighting systems installed in the rural sector.
In this sector, solar energy can be used for various purposes, from the simplest, such as lighting and refrigeration, to powering automation systems and crop monitoring. In all cases, the possibility of generating, within the farm itself, the light consumed in production helps to reduce operating costs and the dependence on conventional energy sources.
For Lourenção, investment in solar energy is interesting for the agro-industry due to the natural cost reduction, which will be favored by the incentives of the new Safra plan. “Solar energy can strengthen agribusiness through the Safra Plan, with this incentive to build a system that is lower cost, as well as being a clean source of light that can also enhance the producer’s brand and offer an additional source of income from the sale of surpluses”. According to her, this would lead to sustainable growth in the sector.
According to data collected by ABSOLAR since 2012, solar photovoltaic energy has already generated more than R$ 155.6 billion of investments in Brazil and has already avoided the emission of more than 40.6 million tons of CO2. “We can hope for self-sustainable farms, which generate more clean energy and emit less carbon, and which have higher productivity thanks to reduced operating costs,” concludes Lourenção.
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Website: http://www.iluminus.solar
Source: Terra
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