Installing the system required an investment of R$20 million and a complex logistics operation. About 200 tonnes of equipment traveled along highways and Amazonian rivers to reach the community, a journey that included more than seven days by boat. “The main lesson is that providing reliable energy to remote areas requires solutions designed for the realities of each location,” said Gabriel Mussi, director of major clients at (re)Energisa, the Energisa group’s energy-transition company and the organization responsible for the project.

With electricity available throughout the day, the health clinic can now store vaccines and medications safely, merchants have installed refrigerators and freezers, the school has permanent internet access, and mobile-phone coverage has enabled residents to use banking services and electronic payment methods.

“We suffered a great deal here in the dark. A lot of food spoiled because we had no way to preserve it. When we saw the lights come on, the entire community was overjoyed,” said Maria Ivone Cunha, a Vila Restauração resident.

The project in the Acre community is part of a strategy gaining ground in regions where extending the power grid remains difficult or expensive. Instead of relying exclusively on the construction of new transmission lines, these areas are receiving systems that combine different generation and storage technologies to ensure a reliable energy supply.

Falling solar-panel prices, advances in batteries, and the development of control systems have expanded the adoption of hybrid systems in regions where extending the power grid remains unfeasible. Combining solar generation, storage, and conventional generators is reducing fossil-fuel use without compromising supply reliability.

One example is Caiambé, Amazonas, where a hybrid plant combining diesel generation, solar power, and battery storage has begun operating. The system is expected to reduce diesel use by about 130,000 liters a year and avoid approximately 405 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

The initiative is part of an effort to modernize so-called isolated systems, which still depend heavily on fossil fuels to supply communities that are not connected to Brazil’s National Interconnected System. Similar models are expected to spread over the coming years as new technologies become more affordable.

Rafael Segrera, Schneider Electric’s president for South America, said Brazil offers favorable conditions for expanding this model. However, it requires investment in technology and professional training. The company recently opened a sustainable energy hub in Amazonas focused on developing and disseminating solutions adapted to local conditions.

Most of these initiatives are concentrated in the region, where nearly all of Brazil’s isolated power systems are located. In these areas, combining different generation sources has proved a viable way to reduce diesel use without compromising supply reliability.

“Brazil has highly favorable conditions for accelerating this expansion. In addition to having a power mix comprising approximately 84% renewable sources and some of the world’s greatest potential for clean-energy generation, the country has technological capabilities and an increasingly favorable environment for innovation in electrification, automation, and digitalization,” he said. According to Segrera, the next step is to expand workforce training so professionals can install and operate these systems in different parts of the country.

The approach of producing energy close to where it will be consumed is also advancing beyond isolated Amazonian communities. In rural areas, instead of solar panels and batteries, the fuel may be generated daily on the property itself. Animal waste feeds biodigesters, where microorganisms convert organic matter into biogas.

The material remaining at the end of the process can also be used as biofertilizer on crops. In addition to reducing electricity and fuel costs, the technology gives agricultural and livestock waste a productive use.

Felipe Marques, CEO of CIBiogás, said the technology’s potential is likely to grow alongside the expansion of animal-protein production. “The country is on track to remain a leading exporter of animal protein, particularly given the prospect of increased demand in Asia and the new trade agreement with the European Union. As a result, even more protein production will be connected to the biogas and biomethane agenda and a just energy transition,” he said.

The projects also reflect a change in the approach to electrification investment. Rather than adopting a single solution for the entire country, a model is gaining ground that combines different technologies according to each region’s characteristics, bringing generation closer to consumers and reducing reliance on major infrastructure projects.

According to Mussi, this trend should become firmly established as projects are adapted to the needs of each location. “In a country with geographic conditions as diverse as Brazil’s, there is no single solution for achieving universal access to energy.”

The Energy Transition project is an initiative of the newspapers Valor and O Globo, sponsored by Vale.

*By Mario Camera — São Paulo

Source: Valor International

https://valorinternational.globo.com/