Use of generators in shopping malls can improve energy availability

The Minister of Mines and Energy, Eduardo Braga, and representatives from the Brazilian Shopping Mall Association (ABRASCE) met Monday (Feb. 23) to discuss the use of electrical generators by shopping malls to relieve the stress on the country's energy network.

A number of generators are currently used by shopping malls in several Brazilian cities, whether as their regular power source or as a backup system to ensure energy security. According to ABRASCE chairman Glauco Humai, the economic viability of using generators as part of the regular energy use depends on how the equipment is powered.

“We discussed how these generators can help mitigate this energy near-crisis situation we are experiencing,” Humai said. Studies on the installed capacity are already under way.

During the meeting, the Ministry of Mines and Energy and electricity industry regulator ANEEL announced they are considering changing the laws to provide incentives for using generators, but there are no details as to at what times they would be used or how much s would have to pay for it.

The executive said the energy demand in the shopping mall industry s for less than 0.5% of the total country usage. “Even though we are helping [mitigate the stress on the energy system], this is only a very limited contribution. So we're discussing to what extent we could improve our contribution, how generators can be used, and what the trade-offs are in environmental and economic ,” he said.

Minister Eduardo Braga recently said that the use of electrical generators will not result in more expensive electricity bills – rather, it will simply provide an alternative to the use of energy bought from the free market through the use of energy produced by small generators, which are already installed and can generate energy at lower costs.

Translated by Mayra Borges