Renewable energies come from inexhaustible sources such as wind and natural light that are captured by panels.These panels are installed on the roofs of properties or grouped together in so-called solar farms.But another alternative within this modality is presented for the near future: solar paint.Solar ink is being studied and developed by researchers from various research centers on the planet.The application would be simple, on the roof or walls, just like a conventional wall paint.At first, solar paint for power generation only has the function of being complementary, as it still does not have the same performance as solar panels.Its current capacity is only 3% to 8% of solar energy that falls on the painted surface.In any case, this solar paint is not widely sold.We only have the registration of the SolarPaint company, in Tel Aviv, the capital of Israel, in the Middle East.Remembering that in addition to the paint, it is necessary to install the equipment that leads the generated energy to the place of consumption.However, the intention of the experts is that the solar paint has power capable of supplying on a large scale.Therefore, three types of this photovoltaic energy capture material are under development.Being a consumer of solar energy is something increasingly common in the world.And as we mentioned above and we will delve further in this article, Brazil follows fashion, albeit more out of necessity than environmental awareness.Therefore, we understand that this is a market that will inevitably gain much more body in society and space in homes and businesses in Brazil and around the world.And solar paint should arrive in the near future, already in the wake of other modalities of the type or as a revolution.But where are the studies?Basically three types of solar paint are being worked on around the world for wide trade.They are: solar ink that produces hydrogen, solar ink called “nano-scale photovoltaic ink” and the so-called “Solar Perovskite” ink.Let's detail each of them now:Solar ink that produces hydrogen was created at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia.Its function not only uses sunlight, but also the moisture that the sun produces in the evaporation of water.The ink collects water vapor from the air and generates electricity.It contains a mixture of compounds, allowing the paint to act as a semiconductor to catalyze water atoms into hydrogen and oxygen using energy from sunlight and water from the air.In addition, this solar paint is composed of titanium oxide, also found in conventional wall paints that you use in the finishing or renovation of your home or business.The nanoscale photovoltaic ink was created by researchers at the University of Toronto, Canada, with the aim of increasing the efficiency of solar cells by up to 11%.In it, there is the functionality of nanoscale semiconductors embedded in a photon absorber.In practice, the idea is for solar cells to be sprayed onto flexible surfaces or to print spots sensitive to the sun.Thus, the paint could be applied to non-regular surfaces, such as airplane wings.Imagine.The ink is named after the Russian mineralogist Lev Perovskite.This ink capable of generating electrical energy contains crystal structures capable of being energy semiconductors.These semiconductor crystals, called “perovskites”, as they were discovered in 1839 by Lev Perovskite, are light absorbers, capable of converting sunlight into electrical energy.In 2014, researchers at the University of Sheffield in England created perovskite-based solar molecules in liquid form, which can be applied via the spray method.In other words, this solar paint would have a much lower waste capacity and be easy to apply on any surface.Therefore, this formula is also called spray cells.It would be inevitable that Brazil would be in the race for the development of photovoltaic paints.After all, the country has great potential in the generation of solar energy.And the number of fans and investors in this modality only grows.Since August 2012, the Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense (Unesc), in the state of Santa Catarina, has invested around R$ 1 million in studies on solar paint.The money invested was for the acquisition of materials and equipment for the researchers to work with, such as a glovebox, atomic force microscope and potentiostat.The photovoltaic ink development process took place with a rigorous process of discussing strategies between doctors, masters and engineers;several feasibility studies, research, laboratory tests and results meetings with the financing companies.“There was a group working on the development of photovoltaic material.We had a group developing the system component and a third working solely on evaluating the prototype.”Professor Marcos da Silva Paula, on the other hand, explains that the work on the development of photovoltaic paint requires protocols and monitoring.“A protocol was established, followed to the letter throughout the development.This protocol consisted of the development of the photosensitive material, all its compounds and intermediates, including the toxicological and cytotoxic evaluation, until reaching the development of a prototype of an organic solar cell”.Adherence to solar energy only grows in Brazil.As mentioned above, the search for this modality is the main way to escape the high electricity bill that has been affecting all regions.The numbers in relation to the search for own generation or through a shared network show that solar energy is a trend and demystifies the story that this system "is for rich people".According to the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel), in the first half of 2021 alone, there were 142,199 new consumer adhesions to the solar energy modality.In the same period of 2020, there were 98,502 consumers who joined the photovoltaic modality at home or in the trade itself.It is a difference corresponding to more than 44%.The most common forms of adhesion to solar energy are through the installation of panels on individual roofs, which may require works, but which generate considerable savings.Or by contracting solar energy subscription companies that work with energy distributors in the region, and that guarantee up to 20% discount on the electricity bill.Solar energy generation in Brazil is expected to grow by 67% this year, 2021, according to the Monthly Energy Bulletin, produced by the Ministry of Mines and Energy.The document points out that solar energy produced in the country should reach 18 terawatt-hours, against 10.7 terawatt-hours produced in 2020.The concept of a sustainable world is to take advantage of what the planet offers, without compromising future generations.They are based on actions that must be taken now, from avoiding littering to the use of renewable energy and even political incentives in this regard.In 2020, however, Brazil went against the world, increasing greenhouse gas emissions in the midst of a pandemic.There were 9.5% more in 2020.In total, 2.16 billion tons of carbon dioxide were emitted.The highest level since 2006. And deforestation in the Amazon is directly related to this pollution, in addition to the current water crisis, which is already the worst in the last 91 years, and the risk of electricity rationing.The deforestation alert system of the Instituto do Homem e Meio Ambiente da Amazônia (Imazon) recorded 10,476 km² of deforested area in the Amazon from August 2020 to July 2021. It is the highest rate of deforestation in the last 10 years.With fewer trees, the rain process slows down: trees drain moisture and return it to the air that is carried away by the wind.With less rainfall, the reservoirs do not reach the desirable average for the supply of electricity.Reservoirs – or hydroelectric system – are the main form of energy generation in Brazil.It corresponds to 75% of the electric energy produced, representing 42% of the Brazilian matrix.That is, there is a dependence on rain to avoid blackouts.But so that the lack of supply does not happen, thermoelectric plants are activated for the distribution of electric energy.Thermoelectric plants, on the other hand, are powered by fossil fuels.And the price of the operation is passed on to the consumer through the Tariff Flags.In other words, we are paying dearly to have energy that is harmful to the environment.Price of energy tariff flags:The solution, therefore, for this entire complex system of generation, supply and collection, lies in renewable energies.And solar energy comes out ahead as the most accessible and with a variety of modalities that already exist and those to come, such as solar paint.As detailed above, the thermoelectric system is still important today, but it needs to be extinguished one day and that renewable energy needs to be consumed more for a sustainable future.Numbers indicate that the solar plant market already surpasses the thermoelectric one, in the midst of the water crisis that plagues Brazil.According to a survey carried out by the Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association (Absolar), there are 3.8 gigawatts (GW) in solar plants.The thermoelectric plants produced 3.6 GW.In order to overtake mineral coal – the main fuel for thermoelectric plants – solar plants take the sixth position as the largest source of electricity generation in Brazil.The main projects in operation are in the states of Bahia, Ceará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí and Rio Grande do Norte, São Paulo, Tocantins and Minas Gerais.The latter, by the way, is the state that generates the most solar energy in Brazil.The mining territory corresponds to 18% of the entire Brazilian photovoltaic solar energy park.There are 101,606 operational connections, in 843 cities in Minas Gerais (98.8% of the 853 municipalities in the region).Currently, there are about 137,269 electricity consumers who are already guaranteed a reduction in their electricity bills and greater autonomy and electrical safety.The North of Minas Gerais is considered attractive for the so-called solar farms.These are areas where there is no agricultural production, so the land costs are cheaper and the region is more favorable for the solar radiation index.One of the companies operating in the state of Minas Gerais is Liben.The company generates solar energy through its own farm and distributes it to customers through the network of Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais SA (Cemig).This is called a lease.Consumers, mostly small and medium-sized merchants, do not have to carry out installation works or pay fees.And the guarantee of savings on the electricity bill is up to 20% less than what is already paid today.“The generated energy is transformed into credit that will be deducted from the electricity bill monthly.In practice, you will have two invoices: one from the concessionaire and one from Liben.However, the sum of the two will be less than your current electricity bill.”