Smart City Buzios

Effergy participates in the pioneer Smart City project of these characteristics in South America, “Cidade Inteligente Búzios”, in the Rio de Janeiro state, promoted by the local government and financed by the state of Rio de Janeiro and city hall of Armaçao de Buzios.

The project makes it possible to integrate renewable energy resources into the electricity production matrix through the adaptation of the existing electrical network. The primary goal of this project, still being carried out, is to reduce energy loss through the installation of smart meters and computerized electrical network, by applying innovative technologies. This change will promote the efficient use of electricity in the city, besides reducing Co2 emissions.

The city will have electric vehicles like smart cars and smart bikes and their corresponding battery chargers distributed in the whole urban area, besides the creation of renewable energy generation points, solar and wind. Traditional public lighting will be replaced by LED lamps, and in some cases LED lamps supplied by micro wind-turbines installed in the same light pole.

The company has been commissioned to give a solution for grid integration of renewable energy generators. In particular Effergy is responsible of wind generation adaptation, energy storage and reactive power capabilities management.

The projects comprises the entire preliminary study for the implementation of the smart system to accomplish with:

i) Implementation of a training workshop in Rio de Janeiro to introduce modern wind turbine control technologies, and to discuss the future research objectives for ANEEL and AMPLA.
ii) System voltage stabilization by injecting/absorbing reactive power following references from the system operator in real time. The implemented system can perform dynamic VAR and voltage control, by implementing plant controllers and power electronics.
iii) Battery Energy Storage System for frequency response and ramp rate control. Supplying power during voltage interruptions, by using automatic grid disconnection system and switch of working mode for the power conversion system. This will make the system to operate in isolated system imposing voltage and frequency in the absence of grid. The preliminary study included estimation of the required energy taking into account the isolated load consumption and statistic interruption times.
iv) Availability and reliability of the BESS system.
v) Battery recycling: how and where to return the batteries once reached their End Of Life.
vi) Evaluation of environmental impact risks for Li-Ion battery shipping.
vii) Evaluation of O&M programs for both BESS and renewable energy generators.