The first solar energy exploration project in hydropower station lakes using floats was launched on March 4 at Balbina Hydropower Station.In the municipality of Presidente Figueiredo in Amazonas (Brazil).
On March 11, a similar floating solar prototype will be launched at the Sobradinho hydroelectric power plant in Bahia.
The floating photovoltaic panels in the Amazon solar power plant reservoir will initially generate 1 megawatt of power (1 megawatt peak, equivalent to 1 megawatt generated at peak sunshine). By October 2017, the capacity is expected to increase to five megawatts, enough to power, for example, 9,000 homes with an area equivalent to five football fields.
For the two projects at the Balbina and Sobradinho hydroelectric power plants, an investment of approximately R$100 million (R$49.964 million from Eletronorte and R$49.942 million from Chessef) is planned, in actions scheduled to last until January 2019, to generate 10 MW of hydroelectric power.
These are the first solar power plants in lakes where hydropower plants already exist in the world. These structures allow the use of substations, transmission lines of hydropower plants and the area above the reservoir waters, avoiding land confiscation. Similar projects have already been developed in other countries, such as Japan’s massive solar power plant on Lake NishihiraBut in shared water reservoirs, and not as in this case in hydroelectric power plants.
In short, the main advantages of installing floating solar power plants in the water reservoir area of ​​existing hydropower plants are the possibility of using the existing power transmission lines of hydropower plants and avoiding land confiscation.
The floats for the solar power plant were produced at the Balbina hydroelectric plant in Camasari, Bahia, and the next ones will be manufactured in Amazonas. According to Orestes Gonçalves, managing partner of Sunlution, the company responsible for developing the project, the initiative will contribute to generating local jobs.
The construction will be the responsibility of the Brazilian company. Sunlotionin partnership with equipment manufacturer WEG and with the participation of the Federal Universities of Pernambuco and Amazonas, as well as the Solimoes River Support Foundation.
According to José da Costa Carvalho Neto (President of Eltrobras), the trend in Brazil is to expand solar energy production, which could lead to lower electricity bills in the future. However, he stressed that the reduction cannot be estimated, as it is not yet known how much solar energy will cost. However, he added that it will be a “significant reduction.”
According to José da Costa Carvalho Neto, the share of solar energy in the Brazilian electricity matrix is ​​very small, but it should be a target for growth in the coming years, reaching 5%, 10% or even higher. “The cost of photovoltaic solar panels continues to fall. Solar energy will become very cheap, and this savings will be transferred to tariffs that benefit the Brazilian consumer.
This project will analyze the degree of efficiency of the interaction of the solar power plant, along with the operation of hydroelectric power plants, and the impact on the reservoir ecosystem.
After studies, it is expected that solar energy generation will reach 300 megawatts, capable of supplying 540 thousand homes.
