EN 
PT_BR 
Researchers from UEL (State University of Londrina) are leading an AI (artificial intelligence) project to promote sustainability and technological innovation.
The objective, according to professors Bruno Zarpelão and Sylvio Junior, both from the Computing Department of the Center for Exact Sciences, is to program a machine to collect information from the campus's photovoltaic plant to help manage the enterprise's energy production.
“Every 15 minutes, the system collects data on the plant’s operation and stores it in a bank. Cross-referencing with other parameters, such as meteorological conditions, solar radiation levels, ambient temperature, period of the year, among others, makes it possible to predict the energy generation capacity, for example, for 24 hours and even a week”, explained Zarpelão.
According to the professor, this indicator is important because photovoltaic energy depends on radiation from the Sun. Furthermore, he highlighted that AI algorithms can also diagnose abnormal behavior.
“When we have real behavior deviating from the indicator, artificial intelligence will be able to compare the two automatically and alert us that something is wrong, since the energy generated is different”, he explained.
Artificial intelligence
For researchers, algorithmic systems are assuming increasing importance in various aspects of society, impacting people's routines.
“The human being is still a fundamental part of this entire process. Many consider artificial intelligence as a replacement and I would say AI is a great support. People’s knowledge, creativity and even their ability to improvise are fundamental. And the human agent is central to all decision-making processes”, stated Bruno Zarpelão.
Student highlights project sustainability
The research project has the participation of students from the postgraduate program in computer science and electrical engineering.
“Our objective is to make the system available for greater management capacity of the resources provided by the plant, as well as to reduce costs related to electricity consumption”, emphasized student Ricardo Petri.
