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Two New Solar Power Plants Must Be Implemented This Year at UFSM
With the help of a grant of R$ 1.5 million from the Ministry of Education (MEC), the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) secured investments for the establishment of two more solar power plants, one at the main campus in Santa Maria and another in Cachoeira do Sul. The second grant, of the same amount, comes from the university’s own resources.
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New Solar Power Plant at UFSM
In Santa Maria, the solar power plant at UFSM will be implemented at the Events Center, next to the Multi-Purpose Pavilion, covering 5,852 m². The campus previously had a plant with a capacity of 100 kW. In Cachoeira do Sul, this will be the first plant, both with a capacity of 400 kW.
The company responsible for executing this project is Ownergy Soluções e Instalações Ecoeficientes, a company from Minas Gerais that has already delivered plants at other Federal Universities, such as the Federal University of Fronteira Sul (UFFS).
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Illiterate or semi-literate grandmothers were trained to repair solar systems, open rural workshops, and light up homes that still depended on kerosene.
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Investment Recovery May Be Achieved in Less Than 3 Years
Professor Lucas Bellinaso, coordinator of the project at the main campus, which is being carried out through the Foundation for Support of Technology and Science (Fatec), commented:
“The solar power plant at UFSM will have a temperature and irradiance measurement station, and the data from the plant will be integrated into UFSM’s energy management system. Meters have already been installed in all buildings. All are being monitored in the university’s energy management system.”
The previous project in Santa Maria was submitted by professors from the Graduate Program in Electrical Engineering at UFSM through a public notice from the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel), which allocates part of its resources for investment in research. The project also aimed for an energy efficiency system, including the replacement of light bulbs in classrooms and public lighting.
The estimated time to recover the entire investment is three to four years, based on the new plant at the main campus producing savings of up to R$ 40 thousand per month.
The bidding for the new plants was carried out last year, inspections have already been conducted, and the completion of the installations is expected for October 2021, with immediate operation beginning.
