Global model for smart cities will be created in MG to promote the use of green oxygen

A prefecture de Carmo do Cashew, located in the state of Minas Gerais, will sign a PPP (Public-Private Partnership) with companies, investors and technology groups to create a global model for smart cities which aims to combat climate change.

The initiative will integrate several technologies, such as solar energy, Batteries, satellite telecommunications, production of organic food with led lighting and, mainly, initiate the concept of green oxygen.

According to the directors of the Human Group, what made the project viable was the joint work of technicians, researchers from Unicamp (State University of Campinas) and Edson Vilela, architect and mayor of Carmo do Cajuro, who together are forming an advanced study group on PPPs with high climate impact and green oxygen generators. The idea is to encourage the use of this model and method in Brazil and around the world.

“Everyone who knows the role of forests and plants knows that, in order to reduce the volume of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, it is not enough to reduce their emissions, we also need to contribute to nature, in its basic work, and increase the production and emission of oxygen from human efforts with natural actions from the environment”, said Vilela.

“In other words, instead of concentrating immense resources solely on the production of green hydrogen, we have to diversify and seek other solutions and technologies known for decades that are more economically viable and capable of producing and storing energy efficiently and at low cost in any region of the planet. , especially in developing countries that did not cause climate warming”, he highlighted.

According to him, the country can no longer remain dependent on a single source of energy, “especially after all the history with oil, industrialization and computerization that generated major climate problems, concentration of wealth and cybercrime that affect much more than those who have much less.”

Hybrid solutions employed

During the signing of the second phase of the Cajuru project, the city will achieve more than 95% electricity savings, thanks to an innovative storage system that combines lithium batteries, supercapacitors and hydrogen cells in various ways.

The municipality, which has 24 thousand inhabitants, will also have a small energy storage system, using compressed air, with 70% efficiency, as well as Telecom via satellite, with a focus on the city's companies and digital nomads who need fast and secure internet.

In addition, there will be a horizontal production space for organic vegetables and fruits on 1 to 2 hectares of area, using LED lighting, a system that saves 90% of water. According to a spokesperson for the Hummano Group, the solution, which will involve low-income communities, will feature the Agroled system – based on the Mirai for horizontal vegetable gardens, implemented in Tokyo 7 years ago – which integrates solar energy and LED lighting.

“For comparison purposes, Mirai, employing 40 employees, produces around US$400 worth of organic lettuce per year, on just ½ hectare of usable area, in a 13-story building in central Tokyo, while a Soybeans in Brazil produce only three thousand dollars/hectare/year, creating major environmental and climate damage and generating only one job for every 100 hectares”, he explained.

The executive also stated that the initiative will also include the implementation of a small Agroforestry project, which will serve both as a demonstration for other cities and for the production of seedlings for native reforestation.

“This project will follow the model of SAFTA – Sistema Agro Florestal, implemented by Bunkyo, from Japan, for more than 70 years in the Tomé-Açu region, in Pará, with the objective of producing value-added fruits and condiments and also generating employment and income for local communities, keeping the forest standing”, explained the expert.

Technologies used in the project

Below is the list of technologies, innovations and services that will be present in phase 2 of the PPP in Cajuru, which have already been known and tested by the Hummano Group for over 15 years and are documented in the book Bright Green Book 1 (BGB1), launched in 2010 with support from the UN, several countries and companies.

• Telecom via satellite;
• Energy storage via: supercapacitors, long-lasting lithium batteries, compressed air and solar concentrators;
• Energy production via: mini hydrogen cells; mini wind turbines; mini water flow and solar energy turbines;
• Ultra-fast internet transmission indoors via LED – Li-FI;
• Data transmission (Broadband) without optical fiber – Fluid Mesh;
• Horizontal gardens for ultra-fast organic cultivation with Brazilian innovation Agroled combined with an agro community;
• Electric mobility for public services;
• Online public services: health, education, city hall;
• Community coworking for innovation, green ventures and digital nomads.

Phase 1 Details

The first phase was developed by the Hummano Group in 2018 and became one of the most important PPP models for smart cities in the world, recognized by the UN. This fact happened at the same time that the company was developing an energy efficiency model in public lighting, which was the winner in the smart city PPP in Rio de Janeiro.

One of the reasons for this merit is due to the fact that it is the only smart city that has achieved 5 MDGs (Millennium Development Goals), namely: clean and affordable energy, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, cities and sustainable communities.

Signing ceremony

On October 4th, in a live and online event, promoted by Unicamp, the Hummano Group, INOVA and the Forum of the Americas will sign the PMI to begin studies on the second phase of the Carmo do Cajuru PPP.

“The model to be implemented in Carmo do Cajuru will be extremely important to show solutions that make small and medium-sized cities almost self-sufficient, with energy storage projects, organic food production and satellite telecommunications, being a model of a smart and greener city to be replicated worldwide”, highlighted Mayor Edson Vilela.

“These technologies and innovations will be at the Cajuru PPP and will also be part of the demonstrations at the Unicamp smart campus and the CIC (Climate Intelligence Center) project”, concluded the Hummano technical coordinator.