For this, it is enough that any interested person (be it individual or legal entity) install a micro or mini-generator, which must be powered by renewable energy sources encouraged by the distributed generation segment. You can Learn More here.
According to the current rules of this segment, it characterizes the micro and mini generation of solar energy as:
Microgeneration: photovoltaic system with an installed capacity of 75 kilowatts or less.
Minigeneration: photovoltaic system with an installed power greater than 75 kW and less than or equal to 5 Megawatt.
All distributors are required to connect the generators to their grid, which in the case of solar photovoltaic, are On-grid photovoltaic systems, which represent 99% of the generators connected in the country today. This type of system is one that does not use batteries to store the generated energy.
- This was a major breakthrough for Brazil’s electricity sector and a form of empowerment for the population, who began to seek to know everything about solar energy.
- However, one problem persisted: RN 482 rules limited the generation and use of energy credits to a single person who was to install the solar system in his or her own property.
- This limitation left many of the Brazilians out of the distributed generation segment, such as those who live in apartments, for example, because they had no space to install their own system.
- Fortunately, that changed in 2015, when Aneel revised the rules of the segment through Normative Resolution 687.
- This update enabled 3 new generation modalities in the distributed generation segment, which are:
Generation In Condominiums
In this mode, residents of a residential or building condominium can come together to install a central system that will generate power for each of the participants, as well as to feed common areas.
In this case, the system, which is under the responsibility of the condominium, the administration or the project owner, will inject all the energy generated directly into the electricity grid for the creation of energy credits.
At the end of the month, these will then be computed by the distributor and used to reduce the electricity consumed by each of the participants in their respective apartment / house.
Under the rules, all houses or apartments must still be located on the same property or on adjoining properties.
Union of people or companies to generate energy
This mode of shared generation also allows the union of two or more stakeholders for the installation of a generator system.
In this case, consumers can be either individual (CPF) or legal (CNPJ), joining through a cooperative or consortium and do not need to reside within the same area.
The only caveat is that the same power utility needs to serve all participants who come together for this joint generation.
Generate power in one place and harness in another
Lastly, this mode allows you (CPF or CNPJ) to manage your energy remotely, away from where you will use it.
In practice, this means that you can have a home located in neighborhood X and share the energy credits generated with another home you own in neighborhood Y, for example.
It is noteworthy that this is a rule where areas X and Y need to be serviced by the same distributor, regardless of whether they are in the same neighborhood, city or state.