The municipality of Manaus (AM) inaugurated, this Thursday (2), a new solar power plant North from Brazil, in the form of micro and mini distributed generation.
In total, the structure will generate 3,7 GWh per year and prevent the emission of 2,6 tons of CO2 per year – the equivalent of the annual pollution of 560 private cars and an effect similar to that of planting 43 thousand trees.
The photovoltaic plant occupies an area of 20 thousand square meters on the Fazenda da Esperança branch, on the banks of BR-174 – a highway known for connecting the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso, Rondônia, Amazonas and Roraima to Venezuela.
The plant has 2,55 MWp of installed capacity, consisting of eight inverters and 4.960 photovoltaic modules. The company Expertise Energia, based in Manaus, was responsible for implementing the plant.
In Partnership with
The photovoltaic plant is the result of a partnership between the City of Manaus, the concessionaire Águas de Manaus, a concessionaire that is part of the Aegea group, and Brasol, a company in the Siemen group that provides solar energy solutions.
The partnership between Aegea and Brasol has been consolidating over the last two years and there are already nine plants built in the country, in the states of Mato Grosso and now in Amazonas, in addition to projects being implemented in Rio de Janeiro.
“The partnership with Brasol is very important for us. Energy is the main input used in our operations and the adoption of clean sources that contribute to reducing emissions into the atmosphere is a priority for Aegea”, says Emerson Rocha, manager of Energy Management and Energy Efficiency at Aegea.
“Currently, 94% of the energy consumed in our units comes from renewable sources. We recently set a target of reducing specific energy consumption by 15%, measured in kWh/m³, by 2030, which reinforces the company's commitment to the ESG agenda. This goal is linked to the issuance of Sustainability-Linked Bonds (SLB), an unprecedented operation for sanitation companies in Brazil”, he adds.
For Brasol's CEO and founder, Ty Eldridge, being alongside Aegea is an important milestone for the company's operations. “We are happy with building a network of partners, contributing to the achievement of goals and the adoption of sustainable practices in the operations of large companies in Brazil and around the world,” he says.
“It is a reference plant in solar energy and one of the largest in Manaus, with the capacity to meet the energy consumption needs of local units”, he adds.
The CEO of Águas de Manaus, Diego Dal Magro, reinforces the company's commitment to seeking sustainable options for its operations. “Contributing to the company's sustainability goals through the pillars of Efficiency and Technology is truly a source of pride. Through this partnership, we show our commitment to the Amazon and the environment. Let's start using clean energy in the largest city in the Amazon. This is very important. May we be an incentive for other peers to adopt the commitment to reduce polluting emissions into the atmosphere”, he highlights.
Initially, the project will serve 55 operational water service units in the capital of Amazonas – which last year set a goal of drastically reducing its energy consumption by 2030.
Ageman (Regulatory Agency for Delegated Public Services of the Municipality of Manaus) and UGPM-Água (Management Unit for Municipal Water Supply and Sewage Projects) will monitor the operation.
