Photovoltaic generators: use by rural customers in Mato Grosso state

Abstract

In the current Brazilian energy scenario, the use of photovoltaic systems for generating energy is an excellent choice, as it combines electricity savings and energy production with less harmful impact on the environment. Mato Grosso is a state of great importance for agricultural production, in a country where agribusiness has a large share in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The aims of this study are to investigate the growing use of distributed photovoltaic system by rural customers in the state of Mato Grosso and compare it with the number of installations implemented in other consumer classes to eventually evaluate the participation in the state energy matrix and its applications. The analysis was carried out with data up to 2020 available from the registration system of the distributed generation of the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL) and the local electricity company Energisa Mato Grosso (EMT). The number of consumer units having photovoltaic generation systems in the state has grown on average 342% since 2015, when the first units were installed. When analyzing only rural facilities, this percentage rises to 347%. Although the participation of rural customers in the total number of installations is 7.04%, which are less significant than the other consumer classes, these systems are 6.44 times larger than residential systems, with a participation in the total state installed power of 21.74%.