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System announced by Neoenergia and Compesa will be installed in the water mirror of the Xaréu Reservoir. The island also received new solar power plant exclusive to supply electric vehicles

The commitment to the decarbornization and sustainability of Fernando de Noronha Island received another important stimulus. Neoenergia and Companhia Pernambucana de Saneamento (Compesa) announced the construction of the first Floating Photovoltaic Solar Power Plant in the archipelago. The renewable energy generation system will be installed in the water mirror of the Xaréu Reservoir, an area of approximately 4,400 m². The new plant has an estimated investment of R$ 10 million, coming from the Energy Efficiency Program of Neoenergia Pernambuco, regulated by the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL).

" The new energy efficiency project in Fernando Noronha is added to other renewable energy initiatives that Neoenergia develops in the archipelago. Thus, we reinforce our commitment to decarbonization, and highlight our innovation potential, towards a more sustainable future", says Ana Christina Mascarenhas, Superintendent of Energy Efficiency at Neoenergia.

With a power of about 630 kilowatt-peak (kWp) and an estimated generation of 1,238 MWh/year, the floating plant will be responsible for supplying more than 50% of Compesa's energy consumption on the island. The generation through renewable source will promote a reduction of 1,663 tons of CO2 emitted annually in the archipelago, recognized by UNESCO as a Natural Heritage of Humanity.

The Floating Solar Power Plant is incorporated into other sustainable projects developed by Neoenergia, on the island, through the Noronha Sustainable Energy Program, which provides for renewable energy solutions and to stimulate the preservation of the ecosystem. Among the initiatives is the Vacaria Solar Power Plant, which is part of the Green Trail, Neoenergia's electric mobility project in Fernando de Noronha. The newly opened unit has a power of 50 kWp, with an estimated generation of 75 MWh/year.

The solar plant is the first of two plants designed exclusively to supply electric vehicles that circulate in the archipelago. The total installed power of the two units will be 100 kWp, a capacity three times greater than the need for the project vehicles. The surplus will be injected into the distribution network, expanding the use of a renewable source by consumers in Noronha.

The Green Trail Project presents one of the most important contributions in encouraging the expansion of electric vehicles on the island, supplied exclusively with photovoltaic solar energy. The strategic project, led by Neoenergia Pernambuco, is part of ANEEL's R&D Program and has partners such as eiON, CPqD, WEG and Renault.

The initiative aims to promote the insertion of electric mobility as a way to mitigate the emission of polluting gases in the archipelago and contribute to the decarbonization process. In practice, the studies are intended to evaluate the technical feasibility and business models that use electric cars in an isolated ecosystem such as Noronha.

Ten vehicles of the project have already been incorporated into the activities of the tourist trade, district administration and operation of Neoenergia on the island. Two more are expected to be delivered in the coming days. The cars will be fueled by 12 new refill points planned in the project and that will be installed in strategic locations of the island.

Electric Bicycles

Still focused on sustainable mobility, Neoenergia will stimulate the use of electric bicycles for displacement of residents and tourists visiting the island. The company will install four bike charging stations on Fernando de Noronha Island. Chargers will start to be installed in October and can be used free of charge.

The energy consumed by the equipment will be generated through solar panels installed in the roof of the structures. These structures will be given to the State Government for energy savings. 

Each of the four stations will have six connections, totaling 24 charging points. They will be located in front of Flamboyant Square, in the Floresta Nova neighborhood; near the Mergulhão Restaurant, in Porto; in Praça do Trinta and near the iCMBIO's head. In addition to six charger connections per station, two common outlets will still be installed to recharge other equipment models.

Smart Grids

Neoenergia concluded, last September, the replacement of all electricity meters in Noronha. The new devices replace the old ones, installed in 2018, when the island became the first place in the Northeast to have Intelligent Electric Grids (REIs).

More modern, the equipment allows access and remote monitoring of voltage and current levels, in addition to events and alarms in case of interruption in the power supply, ensuring more agility in service. The analysis of the information allows adaptations that result in gains in quality, energy efficiency, environmental impact and safety.

All meters are two-way (capable of measuring energy input and output). From now on, customers who request The Micro and Distributed Minigeneration (MMGD), Qualimetry or White Tariff will have their requests met without the need to perform the replacement of the equipment.

Pioneering

The territory of Fernando de Noronha concentrates a series of sustainable actions implemented by Neoenergia Pernambuco. In 2009, the company promoted one of the first energy efficiency initiatives on the island. Attentive to the growing increase in tourists and, consequently, increased energy demand, the company replaced electric showers with solar water heating in about 20 inns.

The systems were installed as a way to stimulate the use of sun heat to reduce energy consumption. In this context, the distributor also replaced old refrigerators with new ones and the donation of efficient lamps to residents of the archipelago.

The distributor was a pioneer in the use of electric car on the island as a way to encourage the use of cars free of polluting emissions. Since 2015, it maintains an electric vehicle and the first solar power station in the archipelago.  The company has installed a system that brings together technological innovations in the areas of measurement, telecommunications, information technology and automation.

The project also stimulated the use of distributed microgeneration contributing to the diversification of the energy matrix. Nine photovoltaic systems were deployed in residential, commercial, government agencies and non-governmental organizations, one of them with batteries for energy storage.

The incentive to expand renewable energy sources in Noronha adds up to two solar plants. Through ANEEL's Energy Efficiency Program, the Pernambuco distributor inaugurated, in 2014 and 2015, two photovoltaic solar generation plants. Located in the Aeronautics Command and compesa's rainwater catchment plate, the Noronha I and II Plants have installed power of approximately 1 MWp (megawatt-peak), which results in the estimated generation of 100 MWh/month, almost 10% of the island's consumption.

An intelligent energy storage system also makes up the island's energy innovations. Composed of two modules with storage technology in lithium ion batteries, the initiative was structured through the R&D Program. 

ODS

 The actions developed in Fernando de Noronha converge on Neoenergia's business strategy, committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations (UN). The projects in the archipelago focus especially on the supply of affordable and non-polluting energy (objective 7), climate action (objective 13) and promote respect for the life of terrestrial ecosystems (objective 15).