IEPUC (Energy Institute of PUC-Rio) will inaugurate next Tuesday (28), a pilot hybrid plant focused on research and testing of combined energy sources. The plant consists of solar generation, natural gas and diesel/biodiesel engines, as well as battery storage systems.
In terms of capacity, the plant has 320 kWp of photovoltaic solar generation, 320 kW of natural gas generation, and 252 kW of diesel/biodiesel generation. The battery system includes a capacity of 100 kW/138 kWh, a 320 kW programmable load bank, and a 1 kW green hydrogen module, with the possibility of expansion up to 26 kW.
According to Eloi Fernández y Fernández, a professor at PUC-Rio, former president of ONIP (National Organization of the Petroleum Industry), and one of the project coordinators, the initiative aims to create an experimental laboratory to evaluate, in practice, how different energy sources can act in a complementary way in real supply situations.
"They have solar power, a natural gas generator, a diesel generator, a battery for storage, and a laboratory that produces green hydrogen using photovoltaic generation," he explained.
According to Fernández, the plant was designed to simulate different consumption profiles, such as industries, data centers, agribusiness, and isolated systems, with automated data collection for performance, efficiency, and emissions analysis.
One of the project's main focuses is also to contribute to safer energy solutions in regions that depend on continuous generation, such as the Amazon, where the supply is still mostly based on diesel.
According to Fernández, the proposal is to test alternatives that combine renewable sources with other technologies, ensuring greater reliability for the system.
The project was developed over the last six years, with support from Petrogal Brasil, which received an investment of R$ 23 million and was installed in Xerém, in the municipality of Duque de Caxias (RJ).
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