GRUPO INTELLI solidifies its presence in the solar energy market by supplying products for one of the largest solar complexes in the Americas.

"Being part of the supply chain of one of the largest solar complexes in the Americas attests to the seriousness of GRUPO INTELLI's work." The categorical statement by Lorenzo Spedicato, Director of Operations at GRUPO INTELLI, highlights the company's relevance as one of the main suppliers of products for the electrical infrastructure of the Futura Project — one of the largest solar energy plans in the Americas.

The Futura Project is the largest photovoltaic plant with bifacial modules, trackers, and string inverters in Latin America and consists of 45 parks divided among UFV Futura I, UFV Futura II, and UFV Futura III, located in Juazeiro, Bahia. The solar plants, currently under construction, will have an installed capacity of approximately 3 Gigawatts (GW)/year. According to Grupo Focus Energia (owner of the project), the complex will have an investment of over R$ 2.2 billion, and it is expected that the parks will start commercial operation in the second half of 2022 and reach full operation in early 2023.

"We are a family business with nearly five decades of history and innovation and expansion are in our DNA. Supplying for the best projects means being among the best suppliers, and that is a source of great pride for us," Lorenzo Spedicato continues.

GRUPO INTELLI's investment in its commercial expansion and activities in the solar energy market gains even more strength with its participation as a supplier of products for the electrical infrastructure of UFV Futura. The main items provided by the company will be low-voltage aluminum power cables and bimetallic steel coated with copper cables for the grounding system. Consequently, other products from GRUPO INTELLI's portfolio will also be applied peripherally, such as grounding rods, compression connectors, and bimetallic terminals for connecting aluminum cables to copper busbars.

"We have expanded our portfolio in recent years with the aim of offering increasingly comprehensive solutions for power and grounding electrical infrastructure (conductors, connections, and terminations). The diversity of products in our portfolio allows us to offer solutions that provide gains in both Capex and Opex for the end customer," emphasizes Lorenzo. "An interesting example is the bimetallic steel coated with copper cables replacing pure copper in grounding systems. More and more solar parks are opting for this innovation, which ensures the same performance at a much lower cost."

GRUPO INTELLI's Differentiators and its Role in the Solar Energy Market

The history in the electrical market and the credibility of GRUPO INTELLI were decisive for the negotiation that sealed the agreement between the company and the renowned contractor Andrade Gutierrez, which will be responsible for the implementation of the first phase of the Futura complex.

"I believe that the good work carried out by GRUPO INTELLI in previous supplies to Andrade Gutierrez has been an essential factor for the success of the negotiation. Obviously, commercial competitiveness is very high in this segment, but the trust gained through the history of supplying materials with quality and within the agreed timeframe is certainly taken into account by the customer," explains Lorenzo. "In recent years, we have formed a specialized technical-commercial team to serve utilities. We know that each project has its particularities, and our team is fully prepared to offer the most suitable solutions for different demands. Participating in the supply of different parks provides, above all, an interesting global view of which technologies are being used."

Another important differential of GRUPO INTELLI is its verticalization. "In the early 2000s, our CEO (Vincenzo Spedicato) identified the potential growth of the aluminum cable market in Brazil and invested to have our own rolling line. Verticalization is an important differential to ensure competitive prices and deadlines."

GRUPO INTELLI's Projection for the Solar Energy Market in Brazil

The solid growth of solar energy installations in Brazil, which placed the country 9th among all global markets in the sector in the latest survey conducted by the International Energy Agency (IEA), brings a challenge to the national industry: meeting the high demand with quality. "There is an inevitable and irreversible movement towards an energy transition to a low-carbon matrix, and Brazil is a key player in this movement," reports Lorenzo, who concludes his analysis with a warning.

"Brazil is one of the world references in renewable energy generation (85% of the Brazilian energy matrix comes from renewable energy sources), and the national industry needs to be prepared to respond to the demand from the expected expansion. ANEEL's forecasts indicate an expansion in installed photovoltaic capacity in Brazil of 15GW by 2025, a number that is expected to increase considerably in the coming years. GRUPO INTELLI constantly invests in expanding its manufacturing capacity to meet this demand," he concludes.