Sustainable power: OR installs solar power plant at Destination Sauipe

Implemented by OR, a Novonor Group company, the solar plant is located inside the Sauípe Destination to serve offices, houses, and a sales stand.

Bahia is one of the leading states in solar power generation in Brazil; the territory encompasses 25% of the country’s solar parks. Facing this scenario and due to the great solar power potential in the state, OR inaugurated its first solar power plant, located inside Destino Sauípe [Destination Sauípe], on the North Coast.

This action is a result of OR’s corporate commitment to contribute to the development of sustainable cities and to promote actions that favor the circular and low carbon economy, seeking better solutions and innovations for the demands of our stakeholders throughout the business cycle.

Aimed at serving offices, vacation rental homes, and sales stands allocated at Destino Sauípe – a development built by OR, a developer that includes three residential and luxury condominiums – the solar plant is located in a 635m² area, with 234 solar modules, totaling nominal power of 105.3 kWp.

“Bahia is favorably located for the installation of photovoltaic power in a large part of its territory. In search of a power-sustainable option, we chose to inaugurate our first solar plant on the northern coast, after a study of the power demands and subsequent sizing of the plant based on the power bills,” says Andressa Sales, Incorporation Supervisor.

The solar plant project allocated at Sauípe Destination was developed by 3P Energia with support from OR Empreendimentos’ upstream engineering sector. The execution and installation of the system was done by Photon Solar Power. In addition to this, OR’s solar plant relies on the help of distributor Coelba (Companhia de Eletricidade do Estado da Bahia) to power the electronic appliances in the properties.

“The plant was conceived from a study of the power demands and subsequent sizing of the photovoltaic system based on the power bills. The system used for the plant was the “on grid” type, with a direct connection to the electric grid by means of inverters through the ground type model”, adds Andressa Sales.

The capture of solar power for transformation into electrical power is done through solar panels. There are several materials used for the production of the plates, but most are produced with low iron content and other metals so that the glass is not very reflective, increasing the amount of light captured.

In general, the capture process happens in cycles, the first through the panels formed with a large number of photovoltaic cells or solar cells, capable of absorbing large swaths of sunlight. These cells typically use silicon in its crystalline state to generate electricity.

So the solar panels produce electricity and send it to a solar inverter that converts this power into electric current. Subsequently, the power is transmitted and distributed for use in your home or enterprise. With the combination of photovoltaic materials and low-reflective glass it is possible to generate increasingly efficient solar cells.