A city virtually free from power outages. That's the concept behind a pioneering microgrid project implemented by Cemig (Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais) in Serra da Saudade (MG), the smallest municipality in the country, with about 800 inhabitants.
With an investment of R$ 7 million, the distributor opted for a combination of photovoltaic solar generation with a battery energy storage system. The solution forms a microgrid capable of fully meeting the city's electricity demand for up to 48 hours in case of a failure in the conventional distribution network.
The system is supported by a 500 kWp solar power plant, composed of more than 800 photovoltaic modules, with an average monthly generation of 67.439,30 kWh – a volume sufficient to supply local consumption. The plant also has four inverters, totaling 400 kW of power, in addition to a storage system consisting of eight battery racks, with a capacity of 500 kVA / 2.500 kWh.
According to the distributor, the initiative inaugurates a new chapter for the Brazilian electricity sector by introducing a technological solution capable of reducing power outages to almost zero, as well as guaranteeing autonomy in serving the locality in contingency situations.
The choice of microgrid was made after a technical and economic analysis that compared this alternative with traditional solutions, such as network reinforcements or the construction of new feeders to enable dual feed, options considered more expensive and time-consuming.
“Serra da Saudade was selected based on a detailed feasibility study, which showed that the microgrid is the best solution to guarantee security, reduce interruptions, and ensure the resilience of the supply. Instead of an expensive and time-consuming project, we brought a technical alternative that is quick to implement and highly efficient for the population,” declared the president of Cemig, Reynaldo Passanezi Filho.
Before the microgrid was implemented, power outages were frequent and even caused losses to the population, such as the loss of vaccines and medicines at the local health center. Since the system became operational in October of last year, these occurrences have ceased.
In addition to Cemig, the project involved Enerzee and WEG. “Serra da Saudade will, in practice, become a blackout-proof municipality. Even if the conventional grid fails, the city will have more than 48 hours of guaranteed energy from the batteries, enough time for the system to be restored without leaving the population in the dark,” stated Alexandre Sperafico, CEO and founder of Enerzee.
In addition to energy generation and storage, the project included the installation of smart meters in homes and commercial properties, expanding network automation and enabling energy efficiency initiatives. The battery system is integrated into the company's operations center, which is responsible for continuously monitoring the microgrid's performance and evaluating the results for possible expansion of the model.
Cemig is already studying replicating the solution in other locations in Minas Gerais with similar characteristics, especially in regions with complex topography and extensive networks, where conventional alternatives can exceed R$ 30 million in costs.
“What we are delivering in Serra da Saudade is an example of how engineering can evolve to meet the needs of the population with innovation, sustainability and efficiency. This microgrid opens a new frontier for energy distribution in Brazil and gives us confidence to evaluate its application in other regions of our concession,” highlighted Cemig's Vice President of Distribution, Marney Antunes.
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An answer
These initiatives need to be adopted by the respective distributors in other states. Especially in tourist areas that are also small.