Tatiane Costa

The Amazon is characterized by its size, its biodiversity and its range of natural resources. Its population is largely made up of traditional and rural communities, which are dispersed throughout the forests, mainly close to river channels, which provide inhabitants with the possibility of movement and food. Many of these communities, due to their geographic isolation, are also isolated from the point of view of electrical supply, with low demand for energy for production purposes and residential use, making the service is unattractive or unfeasible for electric energy concessionaires, due to the high cost of energy transmission lines. Consequently, these populations are deprived of all the benefits of electric energy, from simple access to the main means of communication, passing through the precariousness of education, even the lack of the minimum housing conditions necessary for every citizen. These communities still use the old kerosene or carbide-based lamp as their main source of light at night. Although the Federal Government launched the Light for All Program in November 2003, the reality of this population remains almost unchanged on many issues. Figure 1 - Diesel is still a widely used source of electricity in Amazonian communities, but its cost is very high. Socio-environmental problems occurring worldwide, especially in recent decades, motivated the UN (United Nations) to launch a new agenda in 2015 of sustainable development, with 17 goals to transform the world by promoting justice and social equality. Among the goals is SDG-7 (sustainable development goal), which provides for reliable, sustainable, modern and affordable access to energy for all all. Countries must, by 2030, expand infrastructure and technology to provide modern and sustainable electrical energy services, particularly in least developed countries, small island developing states and landlocked developing countries, according to their respective support programs. However, the universalization of electrical energy in Brazil still presents major obstacles to achieving SDG-7. In 2019, the estimated number of people outside the SIN (National Interconnected System) in the Legal Amazon was 990 thousand inhabitants. In the same year, the Ministry of Mines and Energy announced that it would take seven to ten years to serve 72 thousand families in this region and that since the beginning of the program, only 3 thousand families in these areas had been served through the Green Extractive Reserve for Semper program in Pará. Policies aimed at providing energy assistance to isolated communities have many limitations that make any initiatives unfeasible on a small scale. Among the possible solutions to the problem are the use of renewable sources, hybrid energy generation and PCHs (small hydroelectric plants), among others. When communities have some source of energy, they are generally diesel-powered generators, used collectively by residents for a few hours a day for lighting or to watch television. This system is not available every day. The use of diesel generators promotes environmental and noise pollution, uses obsolete technology, requires continuous maintenance, and offers difficult access for specialized technicians to the sites. Among the various problems are the risks of transporting fuels in inadequate containers and carrying flammable cargo alongside the population on vessels, in addition to the high cost of fuel and the logistical difficulties of refueling. But this reality has been changing in recent years, as solar energy systems are being implemented – through private, public, and especially non-governmental initiatives – to meet the basic needs of some communities, for water pumping, domestic supply, public lighting, and the electrification of schools, health centers, and community centers. Figure 2 - Modules of the SIGFI project installation in the Tapajós-Arapiuns Extractive Reserve. Source: Costa, 2020Pilot electrification projectA pilot electrification project was implemented in the Tapajós-Arapiuns Extractive Reserve (Resex), with installations started in 2017 and inaugurated in 2018, specifically in the community of Carão. The Resex territory has an area of almost 650 thousand hectares, located between two municipalities in the west of Pará – Santarém and Aveiro. It is the most populous reserve in Brazil, with around 22 thousand inhabitants distributed in 74 communities, mostly traditional agroextractivist populations of low income and in a vulnerable situation. Its inhabitants generally live off extractive activities and subsistence farming. Although the presence of the public system has been increasing, it still has insufficient reach, especially in access to basic services such as health, education, sanitation, energy, and communication. The sizing of the isolated rural electrification system was based on the minimum service standards established by...ANEEL (Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica) . SIGFI (Sistemas Individuais de Geração de Energia Elétrica com Fontes Intermitentes) 13:Consumo diário de referência de 435 Wh/dia;Autonomia mínima 2 dias;Potência mínima disponibilizada de 250 W;Disponibilidade mensal garantida 13 kWh.A comunidade de Carão, antes de receber o projeto de energia solar, contava apenas com a disponibilidade de um gerador a diesel que fornecia energia aos comunitários entre os horários de 19h e 22h.Além dos problemas ambientais causados pelo uso do diesel, ao longo do ano o gerador passava cerca de três a quatro meses sem funcionar por problemas técnicos ou falta de combustível. O resultado do dimensionamento do sistema fotovoltaico para beneficiar a comunidade foi um projeto composto por :2 módulos solares de 150 W;2 baterias estacionárias de chumbo-ácido de 150 Ah;1 controlador de cargas de 30 A com tecnologia MPPT;1 inversor CC/CA de 300 W 12 V/127 V;String-box CC e caixa de proteção CA. Figura 3: Diagrama do SIGFI-13 instalado no projeto piloto. Fonte: Costa, 2020O projeto de eletrificação apresenta as proteções necessárias como caixas de proteção CC e CA com disjuntores, DPS e fusíveis para a proteção dos equipamentos, prolongando a vida útil com o objetivo de aumentar o tempo de troca dos equipamentos, além da proteção dos usuários. Figura 4: Equipamentos do sistema fotovoltaico do SIGFI-13. Fonte: Costa, 2020Com a implantação do projeto piloto de energia solar para a eletrificação das comunidades, vemos que é possível levar energia de qualidade e de forma sustentável como ocorreu com os 21 domicílios da comunidade de Carão.Desta forma, a implantação desses sistemas colaborou também para o desenvolvimento socioambiental local, promovendo acesso a melhor qualidade de vida para os habitantes. Figura 5: Residência da comunidade abastecida por energia solar. Fonte: Costa, 2020As instalações recebem acompanhamento, com a coleta de dados de geração e consumo para pesquisa e estudo da performance do sistema fotovoltaico. Todos os resultados desse projeto são utilizados como parâmetros para a replicação em outras comunidades isoladas da Resex Tapajós-Arapiuns.Este piloto faz parte do projeto Energias Renováveis para o Desenvolvimento Comunitário do Tapajós - Uma experiência demonstrativa na Reserva Extrativista Tapajós-Arapiuns, financiado pela Mott Foundation junto ao Centro de Estudos Avançados de Promoção Social e Ambiental - Projeto Saúde & Alegria.A perspectiva desse projeto é a difusão da energia solar para o desenvolvimento sustentável das comunidades da Amazônia, em suas diversas aplicações como SIGFI, sistemas de bombeamento de água, sistemas híbridos FV-diesel, acesso à internet e refrigeração.Referências ONU. Objetivo 7: Assegurar o acesso confiável, sustentável, moderno e a preço acessível à energia para todas e todos. Organização das Nações Unidas. Disponível em: . Agência Câmara de Notícias. Governo prevê prazo de 7 a 10 anos para que luz chegue a 72 mil famílias da Amazônia. Novembro de 2019. Disponível em: Costa, T.S. Estudo e simulação de sistemas fotovoltaicos híbridos para aplicação autônoma e conectada à rede. Dissertação. Universidade Estadual de Campinas, 2019. ANEEL

Tatiane Costa

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