The initiative targets schools in Bertioga, Cananéia, Guarujá, Ilhabela, Ilha Comprida, Iguape, Itanhaém, Mongaguá, Peruíbe, Praia Grande, Registro, and Ubatuba, directly affecting around 29,000 students, teachers, and staff. Solar generation is expected to cover roughly 75% of electricity demand at participating facilities. Each school will undergo energy consumption diagnostics before installation, identifying inefficiencies and opportunities for demand reduction. Lighting system modernization forms a parallel component of the intervention.
The program addresses increased electrical load from air conditioning systems recently installed across São Paulo’s school network. State Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics Secretary Natália Resende noted solar generation aligns with schools’ predominantly daytime consumption patterns, creating efficiency gains for both individual facilities and broader grid management. Savings from reduced electricity expenditure are intended to free budgetary resources for other government priorities.
Neoenergia Elektro, serving 223 municipalities in São Paulo state, positions the school installations as vehicles for community engagement with energy transition concepts. Vice President Solange Ribeiro highlighted that the company deployed BRL 113 million in energy efficiency projects during 2025, reaching more than 160,000 consumer units nationwide. Education Secretary Renato Feder emphasized the program’s dual function of cost reduction and environmental education, with solar arrays serving as practical learning tools for students.
The school initiative runs parallel to a separate state program supporting municipal government solar installations. In early July, São Paulo released a list of 214 municipalities qualified for photovoltaic projects targeting local government facilities, with BRL 5 million allocated from the State Fund for Pollution Prevention and Control in the initial phase. Both programs link to the state’s Climate Action Plan 2050 and State Energy Plan 2050 frameworks.
This article was curated and published as part of our South American energy market coverage.
