“Our energy consumption has always been very high, which is why we started to work with solar energy. We spent 15,000-20,000 Brazilian Real (nearly $3,900 USD) on energy per site per month, which we realized would be enough to finance the solar project. Now our energy costs are practically zero.”
Pedro Cláudio de Azevedo Júnior
Discovering New Levels of Efficiency
Agropecuária 7 Manga (7 Mango Agriculture) houses 120,000 chickens for egg production in partnership with BRF, an international food company based in Brazil. They also keep 400 cattle, 700 sheep and 100 horses.
Like every grower across the globe, Pedro Azevedo, owner of Agropecuária 7 Manga, wanted to save money on energy while maintaining production. That’s why the producer in rural Brazil became an early adopter of “photovoltaic” power (converting sunlight into energy). He realized the money he was already spending on energy would cover the cost of making the switch to solar.
He contacted Valley, who consulted with him and installed four solar energy modules on the property. “Our energy consumption has always been very high,” Azevedo says, but “now energy costs are practically zero.”
Azevedo’s four solar plants have been operating without interruption since 2018, and energy savings total 15,000 to 20,000 kWh at each site per month.
The energy savings had an additional environmental benefit: the team was able to avoid cutting down a forest with approximately 36,000 trees, which reduced carbon dioxide emissions an estimated 759,000 kg.
Energy Efficiency and Attention to Detail
Azevedo notes that the solar energy wasn’t the only thing that was efficient – the performance of the solar solutions team also impressed him. “When we were analyzing the projects of several companies, Valley was the only one that met our high standards. The team was able to clearly demonstrate the cost-benefit that the solar energy system could bring to our property.”
Attention to detail also sets the solar solutions team apart, Azevedo adds. “The ongoing technical assistance and monitoring they offer are essential. The team warns us of any problem. One time, they remotely observed that one of my plants was producing more than the others and contacted me because they wanted to know why.” The team soon discovered that it was because Azevedo had been washing the panels of only one of his solar plants. Panels often require periodic cleaning to remove dust and waste; it was a simple solution but was evidence that Valley takes the extra step that others may not.