Piauí will build eight photovoltaic plants through PPP

The state of Piauí has ​​stood out when it comes to supplying clean energy in the country. According to a report by ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency), released in March, the state is the one that has invested the most in the supply of clean energy in Brazil. In order to maintain this status, the state will, through a PPP (Public Private Partnership), build eight mini solar power plants with a production capacity of 5 MW each. 

The cities that will host the facilities are Caraúbas, Cabeceiras do Piauí, Curralinhos, Barras, and Canto do Buriti. These mini-plants are expected to start operating by the end of 2021. “Almost 90 people living in these municipalities will be directly impacted by the implementation of the mini-plants. The investments will contribute to the regional economy by generating direct and indirect jobs, both during the implementation phase and during the operation of the activities,” highlights Viviane Moura, superintendent of the PPP Piauí Program.

One of the innovative points of the mini-plants in Piauí is that they will use tracker technology. This equipment corrects the angle of the panels several times during the day to follow the movement of the sun, maximizing energy production. As a result, energy production is around 30% greater.

The PPP for the mini-power plants foresees more than R$150 million in investments and a 23% monthly reduction in the state's energy expenditures to supply public agencies, in addition to savings of more than R$10 million per year in electricity costs. Over the 25-year contract, this concession will produce energy to be injected into the grid of the concessionaire Equatorial and a system will be implemented to manage and compensate the energy produced and consumed by state government agencies, making them self-sufficient in supply.

The companies responsible for the construction, operation, maintenance and management of the mini-plants will be the Consórcio Energia Sustentável (composed of companies from São Paulo and the Federal District); the Goiás company Brenge Par Engenharia e Participação; and the Gm-Energia Consortium (composed of companies from São Paulo and Pernambuco). 

According to the PPP, the concessionaire companies must implement, together with Uespi (State University of Piauí), the Center for Training and Research in Renewable Energy, a space for research, technical training and educational transformation. The implementation of the mini-plants will further boost Piauí as a national reference in good environmental practices and a pioneer in the use of solar energy to supply public administration buildings”, comments Viviane.

State highlighted in clean energy production

According to ANEEL, Piauí will account for the highest percentage among all the states analyzed this year, with an expansion of 190,35 MW in its energy matrix. Behind Piauí in clean energy production are the states of Bahia with 155 MW and Rio Grande do Norte with 151 MW. In addition, the largest photovoltaic plant in Brazil and South America was inaugurated in early 2020 and is located in the city of São Gonçalo do Gurguéia (PI). It has a generation capacity of 608 MW and uses bifacial solar panel technology.