Off-grid solar-plus-battery systems bring power to Brazil’s isolated communities

Despite progress, some indigenous villages and riverside communities in Brazil still do not have electricity, especially in remote or hard-to-reach areas.

In Rondônia, 78 families from the Santo André Indigenous village have waited decades for power, as have the 85 riverside families of the Cavalcante community. Both are in off-grid, hard-to-reach areas and rely on fuel-powered generators which only provide electricity for a few hours per day.

That changed in 2024 when electrical company Energisa installed its Microsystems for Generation and Distribution of Electric Energy (MIGDI) under the government’s Luz para Todos program, which aims to electrify remote areas.

A BRL 7 million ($1.21 million) investment brought electricity to more than 500 people via 163 installations which arrived over four months, on average.

Santo André resident Rubens Oro Nao said preserving food had been a major challenge before the MIGDI installation. “Before, we had to put salt on the meat to make it last,” he said. “Now, with the refrigerator, I can even drink ice water.”

Energisa installed solar panels backed up by lithium batteries that guarantee uninterrupted supply. The company will monitor the equipment remotely.

Direct benefits

The 163 power units enable improvements in health, education, and communication. Electrification has enabled household appliances, lighting, school equipment, and the refrigeration of vaccines in health centers, boosting social and economic development.

Community leader Benjamin Oro Nao said, “Without electricity, we can’t produce anything. We can’t work. Now, with electricity, everything changes. It will help a lot.”

Post-installation

In addition to installing energy systems, Energisa also helped communities by explaining how electricity works and how to use it efficiently and safely so that residents can help identify potential problems in the microsystems.

From pv magazine Brasil.