E. Salvador1*; R. David2; K. Lepetitgaland3; F. Lopes4 and G. dos Santos5

1 Eletrobras, Support Division, PROCEL, Av. Rio Branco 53/20, 20090-004 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2 Eletrobras, Energy Conservation Planning Division 3 Eletrobras, Brazilian Center of Information on Energy Efficiency — Procel Info 4 Eletrobras, Energy Efficiency Department 5 Eletrobras, Energy Conservation Nucleus of Research and Projects * Author for correspondence: salvador@eletrobras. com

Abstract

The Brazilian “National Electricity Conservation Program” — PROCEL runs regular surveys in the electric energy consumption market in order to assess the number of electric equipments owned by each household as well as their respective types and usage. These studies are not only used as valuable database to plan better the actions of this Program; they also evaluate its performance by identifying the level of penetration of the most efficient electric equipments within the residential sector in which PROCEL runs its main lines of action: to make available and to promote the most efficient technologies.

In the case of solar energy, PROCELs orientation is to encourage its wider use for water heating as well as to improve technological advance in heating solar collectors and thermal tanks.

In this context, the purpose of this work is to present an overview of: the usage and the efficient utilization of solar energy for water heating in Brazil; the evolution of energy efficiency in these types of equipments as well as the main technological advances in this sector.

Keywords: PROCEL Seal, water heating, solar energy, market assessment

1. Introduction

PROCEL was established in December 1985 by the Brazilian Government in partnership with the Ministries of Mines and Energy (MME) and of Trade and Industry (MIC) [1]. Eletrobras is the Brazilian holding for the generation, the transmission and the distribution of electric energy nationwide [2] in charge of the implementation of PROCEL. Its objective is to promote awareness about electric energy consumption in order to avoid waste and to lower the costs and the investments made to respond to the increasing demand in the electrical sector. PROCEL runs numerous activities through various sub-programs to foment the efficient use and usage of electric energy. In turn, these sub-programs focus at the level of different sectors such as Residential,

Trade, Industry, Education, Sanitation and Public Lighting [3]. Following the 2001 national electric energy crisis and the subsequent rationing of this input, PROCELs actions have been drawing more and more attention. PROCELs action frameworks are based on a nationwide survey, regularly ran, to assess the existing number, type and usage of electric equipments called Studies about the Ownership and the Utilization of Equipments (Pesquisa de Posse de Equipamentos e Habitos de Uso — PPH in Portuguese) [4] which assist the strategic planning of the Brazilian electrical sector and define PROCELs action priorities and its achievements.

The latest survey, ran in 2005, was supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) as part of the Energy Efficiency Project (PEE in Portuguese), the result of a partnership between the World Bank and Eletrobras_ the latter actuating as the institution obtaining and transferring the funds

donated to the Brazilian Government [5]. This survey was lead by the Papal Catholic University — Rio de Janeiro (PUC-RJ in Portuguese), hired by Eletrobras. It was run on equipments from sectors of both high and low voltages. Representative of the residential sector, for example, a total of 9,847 households [6], from 21 separate electric energy utilities, were investigated.

In Brazil, since 2007, projects encouraging the use of solar energy for water heating, in particular, have turned more and more common to meet the Mecanisms for Clean Progress (Mecanismos de Desenvolvimento Limpo-MDL in Portuguese). Indeed, heat generation at peak-hour represents a very high percentage of the total electric energy consumption in Brazil, because electric systems are designed and built to meet the maximum demand requested at any given time. Considering these facts, one can only ponder the unfortunate contribution to Global Warming and its subsequent negative effects on the environment.