en.Wedoany.com Reported - Fernando Silveira, Commercial Director of Brazil's GreenYellow, pointed out that sectors such as retail, shopping malls, industry, agriculture, and mining are driving the growth of the "Energy as a Service" model, which allows users to sign energy infrastructure contracts without purchasing assets. Silveira made this assessment while participating in the Papo Solar podcast, hosted by Canal Solar.
Silveira stated that the growth of this market is driven not only by reducing electricity bills but also by factors such as high grid usage costs, demand constraints from distribution companies, and the growing need for operational reliability. In this model, specialized companies make the financial investment and install and operate the system, while customers pay a service fee based on the contract term. Customers can pay a monthly fee for asset usage, significantly reducing consumption from the traditional grid and preventing blackouts and peak-hour price spikes. In some cases, consumers may obtain ownership of the equipment at the end of the contract.
Silveira noted that food retail remains one of the main markets for this type of solution, with significant demand also in shopping malls and industrial sectors. The competitiveness of a project mainly depends on the relationship between the cost of power generation and the cost of purchasing electricity from the grid for the consumer. Silveira explained that this involves a binary relationship: on one hand, the cost of solar energy, and on the other, the cost of alternative energy sources. He also emphasized that regions with higher distribution system usage fees typically have greater contract potential, such as in Rio de Janeiro, where the TUSD (Distribution System Usage Fee) exceeds 200 reais.
Silveira stated that commercial customers located in high-fee regions with increasing sector costs have a clearer demand for alternative energy solutions, especially when they can combine cost reduction with improved operational safety. The main shift in the market is that energy is no longer seen merely as an expense; when solutions go far beyond discounts on electricity bills, they begin to involve increasing productivity.
Silveira pointed out that shopping malls are one of the most promising areas for the "Energy as a Service" model, as these venues combine high energy demand, available space, and a need for complementary solutions. He also mentioned a case where a gold mining company was located in an area without available power infrastructure. GreenYellow developed a solution based on a combination of solar power generation and battery energy storage. The project includes 3 MWp of solar generation and 5 MWh of storage, demonstrating how the model can meet needs far beyond simple electricity bill reduction. Silveira assessed that the customers most receptive to this model currently face common challenges such as high TUSD costs, demand constraints from distribution companies, power quality issues, and the need for operational reliability. He stated that energy is no longer just an operational cost but is seen as a strategic asset for business growth.
