PCT Guamá Laboratory to Develop Technology for Hydroelectric Plant
Among the expected benefits are operational and economic gains for the company
The Center of Excellence in Energy Efficiency of the Amazon (Ceamazon), based at the Guamá Science and Technology Park (PCT) and linked to the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), will develop an Intelligent Energy Management System at the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Complex. The focus of the Research, Development, and Innovation (PDI) project will be frequency regulation, using renewable sources and storage in supercapacitors.
Innovation developed by researchers from Pará
Ubiratan Bezerra, a researcher at Ceamazon, explains that Brazil is increasingly using clean energy sources, such as solar and wind, which do not operate all the time, meaning they only generate energy when there is sun or wind, and the National Electric System Operator (ONS) prioritizes using this clean energy. However, these sources do not help control the frequency of electrical energy, which needs to be kept stable to avoid system failures. As a result, hydroelectric plants are increasingly helping with this control, which causes greater wear on the machines and risk of problems. For this reason, the system being developed will use and store solar energy in supercapacitors, a type of very fast battery, which will help control the frequency of energy more efficiently than the current system. “Ceamazon has been accumulating a lot of experience in developing research involving the use of supercapacitors to support energy supply to solve problems of oscillations in electrical systems, as well as to supply energy to isolated communities in the Amazon, with this line being developed in a project funded by Norte Energia.”
The initiative will be divided into different work fronts, such as the implementation of a solar plant on the Belo Monte premises, the development of an online monitoring system with reports and statistics, the installation of a supercapacitor bank, and the creation of a computational platform aimed at operators. All of this will be integrated into the operation of the plant to enhance the frequency regulation of the National Interconnected System (SIN).
The project contract, lasting three years, was signed between the company Norte Energia and the Guamá Foundation, a Scientific and Technological Institution (ICT) that manages the PCT. “This is the first project that the company has signed with the Foundation, so that researchers from UFPA laboratories, who are in the Park, can execute the company's research project. The company sees us as an important partner in executing its PDI portfolio, and it sees that groups from UFPA, including Ceamazon, are strategic partners,” says Renato Francês, technical director of the Guamá Foundation.
New technology in the energy sector
The initiative is expected to generate technical and scientific data that can contribute to research and public policies. Among the expected benefits of the system are operational and economic gains for the company, pioneering the development of new technology in the energy sector, and contributing to the energy transition by increasing the use of renewable sources. "The project is very innovative and will be a milestone in the frequency regulation of large-scale hydraulic generation with intermittent sources, photovoltaic and wind, entering en masse into the national electrical system,” says Emília Tostes, coordinator of Ceamazon.
The company's PDI program, regulated by the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel), integrates a network of partners that includes universities, research institutes, and the industrial sector, in an exchange for innovation and meeting strategic demands. “We have several activities underway involving Amazonian institutions and researchers that generate scientific knowledge and innovative and sustainable solutions for the region. We are sure that the Guamá Foundation will add to our network of partners and will actively collaborate in the development of relevant projects,” says Andreia Antloga do Nascimento, PDI manager of the company.
Partnerships and specialized services
The Research & Development (R&D) laboratories of PCT Guamá combine scientific knowledge with market competitiveness. Public and private projects can access the resources of PCT Guamá by presenting their demand via email at [email protected] or by phone at (91) 3321-8908 and 3321-8909.
Reference in innovation in the Amazon
The Guamá Science and Technology Park (PCT) is an initiative of the Government of Pará, through the State Secretariat for Science, Technology and Higher, Professional and Technological Education (Sectet), in partnership with UFPA and the Federal Rural University of the Amazon (Ufra), and managed by the Guamá Foundation.
It is the first technological park in the North region of Brazil and aims to stimulate applied research and innovative and sustainable entrepreneurship to improve the quality of life of the population.
Located on the banks of the Guamá River, which gives its name to the complex, the PCT is situated between the campuses of the two universities and has an ecosystem rich in biodiversity, extending over 72 hectares, designated for buildings and the Environmental Protection Area (APA) of the Metropolitan Region of Belém.
The complex has more than 90 companies among residents and associates, 17 laboratories with over 400 researchers, 44 patents, and a technical school.
The PCT Guamá is part of the National Association of Entities Promoting Innovative Enterprises (Anprotec) and the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (Iasp), and is part of the largest innovation ecosystem in the world.
