Brazil: Brasol warns that thefts are the main threat to the profitability of solar power plants

In addition to equipment replacement, power outages increase losses and can cause damage even when insurance coverage is in place.

Equipment theft is one of the main concerns regarding the profitability of distributed generation (DG) solar power plants, according to Allan Mesquita, asset management director at Brasol.

The impact goes beyond the simple replacement of materials; it involves the time required to restore operations and the lost revenue while the business remains fully or partially shut down.

“Recovery time is critical,” the executive states. According to him, even with insurance coverage, the owner must consider the deductible and the possibility of not fully recovering generation losses.

The assessment is based on the experience of an operation that encompasses more than 330 MW, distributed across more than 170 solar facilities, in addition to two customer substations.

Brasol’s structure serves both projects linked to the group and third-party assets, with activities that include operation and maintenance, performance analysis, and asset protection.

To reduce risk exposure, the company decided to internalize security management. According to Mesquita, the change came after detecting difficulties in the service provided by a subcontracted company, particularly regarding response times to incidents such as thefts and fires.

Brasol structured its own team and developed internal controls to monitor assets and expedite the deployment of teams. According to the director, this strategy helps limit the magnitude of the damage, although it does not eliminate the risks. "Our response time is crucial to ensure we suffer the least possible damage," he states.

The company also participates in a project with the São Paulo State Public Security Secretariat and other companies in the sector. Details remain confidential to protect intelligence strategies, but the executive reports that similar initiatives have been implemented in other parts of the country.

However, part of the vulnerability begins at the project development stage. Projects that lack adequate perimeter control, appropriate cameras, and reliable telecommunications infrastructure can increase risks for investors and owners.

Therefore, property security is an integral part of the diagnostic conducted when the company assumes the management of a plant. In these evaluations, Brasol also identifies construction defects and issues arising from inadequate maintenance.

According to Mesquita's analysis, the growth of distributed generation (DG) created opportunities for companies that lacked the necessary experience to build or operate the assets, which generated the need for corrections and reinvestments in the following years.

The difficulty in hiring services with the required quality was one of the reasons for the creation of the company's asset management unit. One of the incidents reported by the executive involved the destruction of 40 modules during a clearing activity.

According to him, the issue did not lie in the supplier's intentions, but rather in the lack of preparation and procedures. The case demonstrated how a seemingly simple service can cause damage when there is no management structure compatible with the risks of the activity.

According to Mesquita, decisions based on immediate economic criteria can compromise the profitability of the investment over the plant's lifetime. In a new project, the loss caused by a few damaged modules may seem small compared to total generation.

However, as the asset ages, repeating these errors tends to increase the need for reinvestment. "These small decisions erode future money that we have not yet realized," he states.

In addition to service quality, the availability of spare parts is a concern for management. Components that become obsolete and are no longer offered by manufacturers can prolong interventions and make the resumption of operations dependent on supply chain conditions.

Failures in protection systems and electrical installations can also cause more widespread damage. A problem with a transformer, for example, can compromise various pieces of equipment and a significant portion of power generation.

Technology is another area used to anticipate issues. The company has developed an internal platform that monitors fires near the plants and issues alerts to guide responses. This work is complemented by close collaboration with Civil Protection and public security forces in the regions where the projects are located.

The initiative, internally referred to as the Winter Plan, aims to establish these contacts before an emergency occurs. The proposal involves presenting the location of the plants and the characteristics of the surrounding area, facilitating the activation of local teams in the event of an incident.

In the case of weather phenomena whose damage cannot be completely avoided, Mesquita emphasizes the need to combine adequate insurance coverage with sufficient operational recovery capacity.

The availability of in-house engineers and equipment enables some repairs to be carried out more quickly, although restoration also depends on the procurement of materials.

In the context of fire surveillance and asset protection measures, the executive reported that the company managed to mitigate losses exceeding R$ 16 million last year.

The company continues to work on consolidating the measurement of financial outcomes from various technological and operational initiatives.

In performance analysis, comparing generation data, projections, and alarms helps identify deviations and determine the optimal timing for interventions.

In one instance, the team observed a rapid drop in production associated with a fan issue in an inverter.

Since the other fans were still operating, the alarm did not appear to indicate a serious incident. Monitoring the performance trend allowed the team to intervene before the problem worsened and caused more significant damage.

In addition to managing existing projects, Brasol is tracking opportunities in the energy storage sector.

According to Mesquita, the company has been making more acquisitions than building new assets and is paying close attention to the battery auction and the development of storage systems, known by the acronym BESS.

"We are currently making many more acquisitions than building new assets," he stated. No specific targets for 2027 were disclosed.

Brasol warns that theft is the main threat to the profitability of solar power plants.

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Wagner Freire is a journalist who graduated from FMU. He worked as a reporter for Jornal da Energia, Canal Agencia Estatal e de Energia. He has covered the power sector since 2011. He has experience in covering events such as energy auctions, conventions, conferences, trade fairs, congresses, and seminars.

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