Which CNAE code do Brazilian solar companies use?
The main CNAE code for solar energy companies in Brazil is 4321-5/00 – Instalação e manutenção elétrica (Electrical installation and maintenance). There is no solar-specific code: designs use 7112-0/00, solar farms and shared generation 3511-5/01, and equipment distributors 4669-9/99. To prospect this segment, search codes 4321-5/00, 3511-5/01, 7112-0/00, 4742-3/00, 4669-9/99 as both primary and secondary CNAE, keep only active CNPJs, then filter by company size and city.
CNAE codes for solar energy companies
CNAE (Classificação Nacional de Atividades Econômicas) is Brazil's official activity classification. Every company registered with a CNPJ declares one primary CNAE and any number of secondary ones. These are the CNAE 2.3 subclasses most used by solar energy companies:
| CNAE | Official description (pt) | English | When it shows up |
|---|---|---|---|
4321-5/00 | Instalação e manutenção elétrica | Electrical installation and maintenance | Solar integrators and installers |
3511-5/01 | Geração de energia elétrica | Electricity generation | Solar farms and shared generation |
7112-0/00 | Serviços de engenharia | Engineering services | System design and permitting |
4742-3/00 | Comércio varejista de material elétrico | Retail of electrical supplies | Stores selling kits and components |
4669-9/99 | Comércio atacadista de outras máquinas e equipamentos não especificados anteriormente; partes e peças | Wholesale of other machinery and equipment | Panel and inverter distributors |
Search primary and secondary CNAE
Many solar energy companies register their real activity as a secondary CNAE, because the CNPJ was opened under another primary activity or because they do more than one thing. Integrators almost always combine electrical installation and engineering, and many also sell equipment. Filtering on the primary code alone misses part of the market.
Who sells to solar energy companies
The solar sector buys equipment, financing and services, and depends on a steady flow of leads.
- Panel, inverter and racking distributors
- Project financing and credit
- Proposal, sizing and CRM software
- Equipment and installation insurance
- Outsourced installation crews
How to build a list of solar energy companies in Brazil
- Pick the codes: start with
4321-5/00and add3511-5/01,7112-0/00,4742-3/00,4669-9/99depending on what you sell. - Search them as primary and secondary CNAE.
- Keep only active registrations (situação cadastral ativa) to drop unfit, suspended or closed CNPJs.
- Narrow by location (state, city, neighborhood) and company size (MEI, ME, EPP, other). Small integrators (ME) do residential projects; EPP and larger handle commercial projects and solar farms.
- Keep companies with contact data (email or phone) and save the filter as a reusable segment.
- Write a segment-specific opener and track replies in a pipeline.
1Lead runs all of these filters in one search over Brazil's public company registry, and its AI suggests adjacent CNAE codes from a plain-language description such as "inverter distributor looking for solar integrators in Northeast Brazil". The product interface is in Portuguese.
Qualification signals
- Electrical installation + engineering: an integrator doing its own designs.
- Power generation (3511-5/01): solar farms with large purchases.
- Recently opened company: choosing a distributor and proposal tools.
How to approach this segment
Integrators live on equipment lead times and financing for end customers. Show stock availability, delivery and terms.
Example first message (in Portuguese, with translation)
Frequently asked questions
What is the CNAE code for a solar company in Brazil?
There is no single code. Integrators usually use 4321-5/00 (electrical installation) and 7112-0/00 (engineering); solar farms use 3511-5/01.
Where is the official CNAE table?
IBGE publishes it in the CONCLA online search, with the full hierarchy (section, division, group, class, subclass) and notes on what each code includes and excludes.