Staub family’s company aims to combine strong brand with service delivery focused on residential market
03/07/2024
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Marcelo Ribeiro and Eugênio Staub — Foto: Gabriel Reis/Valor
Gradiente, a company owned by the Staub family, is investing R$50 million to enter the solar power industry through distributed generation. The new venture, called Gradiente Solar, aims to become a systems integrator for power generation, focusing on residential and small business markets.
The company seeks to capitalize on a market with low professional standards in equipment installation by offering post-sale services to customers. Eugênio Staub, CEO of Gradiente, noted that the company concluded its court-supervised reorganization in 2023, which had been ongoing since 2018. Gradiente also made a public offer to delist its shares and is engaged in a legal dispute with Apple over the use of the iPhone trademark in Brazil, currently under review by the Supreme Federal Court (STF). Now, the company plans to return to the market with a focus on service delivery.
“It’s a new beginning for us, and we decided to restart activities in the solar sector because it’s very promising,” said Mr. Staub. “We will focus on rooftop installations for homes and small businesses, as this market needs more professionalism and organization.”
The investment will be made with the group’s own capital over the course of 2024. Initially, the company will operate in the State of São Paulo, within the concession areas of CPFL and Enel, and then expand to other regions.
Solar is the fastest-growing source in Brazil, driven by distributed generation systems on rooftops, facades, and small plots of land. Brazil has over 30 GW of installed capacity distributed across 3.9 million consumer units. Each consumer unit represents a household, commercial establishment, or property.
This shift towards solar power is largely driven by consumers exchanging their electricity bills for financing payments, typically attracting middle-class customers with electricity bills over R$300 per month. The urgency was amplified by the 2022 enactment of the legal framework for self-generation of energy, which created a sense of urgency to secure exemption from the distribution network usage fee. These state subsidies are embedded in the Energy Development Account (CDE), funded by other consumers through tariffs.
Gradiente is in talks with two Chinese manufacturers to supply the equipment, aiming to profit from resales. Marcelo Ribeiro, CEO of Gradiente Solar, stated that the goal is to offer a comprehensive range of products and services, including accident insurance, project design, equipment selection, installation, certification, monitoring, and maintenance, all supported by a well-known brand
“We see major players investing in large-scale solar farms, and generally, small consumers participate in the energy transition indirectly. With the Gradiente brand, which resonates with Brazilians, we saw an opportunity to enter this market,” Mr. Ribeiro said. “Our focus is on microgeneration, prioritizing residences,” he added.
*Por Robson Rodrigues — São Paulo
Source: Valor International