Miguel Badra, in Suzano, receives solar-powered streetlights made from PET bottles

Fifteen solar energy posts were installed on the streets of the Miguel Badra neighborhood, in Suzano (SP), in an initiative carried out by EDP, a company that operates in all segments of the electric sector and in energy distribution in Alto Tietê, in partnership with the organization Litro de Luz. The equipment, built with materials such as PET bottles, PVC pipes, solar panels, batteries, and LED lamps, was installed on May 30 in a volunteer action that involved about 40 EDP and Litro de Luz collaborators, as well as local residents, encouraging everyone’s participation as agents of change.

Miguel Badra is a neighborhood located in the far north of Suzano, in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, with about 45,000 inhabitants. The posts now light the community’s streets with renewable energy, helping to improve residents' quality of life along with other initiatives that are part of the Comunidade IN program by EDP. For approximately three years, Miguel Badra will receive integrated actions in education, culture, sports, housing, and energy transition that aim to bring development to the community. The planned investment is around R$3 million.

In recent months, other initiatives have already been carried out in Miguel Badra by EDP as part of Comunidade IN. The Escola da Energia project, for example, which aims to contribute to public education by integrating technology into the teaching and learning process, began in March and is impacting 50 teachers and 1,070 students at Victor Salviano Municipal School.

The project offers both in-person and online training for teachers, with access to a virtual learning environment, and organizes working groups with educational coordinators. Activities developed during the program are continuously monitored, with technical and pedagogical support and coordination with municipal education departments. In addition, the school received tablets, multimedia kits, and charging cabinets to be used by teachers and students in classroom activities.

Meanwhile, the Moradigna project completed the renovation of 30 homes in Miguel Badra in December of last year. The work prioritized strengthening the electrical infrastructure, resulting in safer and more efficient installations that protect families from risks such as short circuits and overloads, while also promoting energy savings and more dignified living conditions. In addition to the renovations, the project also included activities focused on raising awareness about energy use through workshops on conscious energy consumption, considering the reality and needs of the families.

In the coming weeks, the project “Entre Cenas e Sonhos” (Between Scenes and Dreams) will start, in partnership with the Association for Assistance to Women, Adolescents, and Children Esperança (AAMAE), a social organization founded in 1999 by a group of women from the neighborhood. Audiovisual, theater, and percussion activities will be held for about 200 children and adolescents from three public schools in Miguel Badra (EE Antônio Brasílio Menezes da Fonseca, EE Vereador Antônio Garcia, and EE Tochichico Yochicava).

Partnership brings solar energy using a PET bottle

Since 2019, EDP has partnered with Litro de Luz, with around 200 solar energy posts already installed in São Paulo and Espírito Santo. Communities such as Vila Sahy, Baleia Verde, and Lobo Guará in São Sebastião (SP); Favela dos Sonhos in Ferraz de Vasconcelos (SP); Barra de São Miguel in Guarulhos (SP); Jabaeté in Vila Velha, and Piranema in Cariacica (ES) have already benefited from this sustainable solution that delivers renewable energy through installations made with PET bottles.

"In our seventh year of partnership with EDP, we reinforce the commitment started in 2019 to bring solar lighting to communities in São Paulo and Espírito Santo. Each project represents an important step in addressing gaps in energy access and transforming realities through sustainable solutions," says Camila Hammes, Director of Projects and Operations at Litro de Luz.

In Brazil, Litro de Luz began its activities in 2014 and, since then, has directly impacted more than 35,000 people across the country. Operating in all five regions, the organization has already installed over 5,000 solar solutions in 213 communities, always in partnership with local residents, promoting autonomy and local leadership. The technologies—such as posts, lanterns, and portable systems—use solar panels, batteries, and LED lamps, combined with simple materials like PET bottles and PVC, ensuring a low-cost, sustainable, and replicable solution. The work is part of the global Liter of Light movement, internationally recognized with awards such as the UN World Habitat Awards and the Zayed Energy Prize, considered the “Nobel” of sustainable energy.

IN Community: integrated development and legacy for communities

As part of its strategy to lead a just energy transition, EDP prioritizes contributing to the development of the regions where it operates through various initiatives. In the past year, EDP invested R$34 million in socio-environmental projects, directly benefiting over 100,000 people through actions in the 13 states where the company operates in the generation, transmission, distribution, and commercialization of energy sectors.

With Comunidade In, every three years communities in the company's concession areas, in Espírito Santo and São Paulo, are selected to receive program actions over the next few years. During the selection process, a complete diagnosis of the community is carried out, considering local data, characteristics, and needs for planning and implementing actions, which can focus on education, professionalization, income generation, decent housing, access to culture and leisure, conscious consumption, quality energy, access to energy, digital inclusion, and waste awareness.