CSP World

Eletrosul, a wholly owned subsidiary of Brazil's Eletrobras, has announced its plans to study a large-scale deployment of Concentrated Solar Power in the Rio Grande do Sul and Mato Grosso do Sul regions.

The company has launched a tender to acquire and install four solar radiation measurement stations to assess the the economic and technical feasibility of deploying CSP plants in the region.

"Eletrosul has been researching and supporting the technological development of solar energy for 10 years. We started with photovoltaic technology, and now we'll assess the feasibility of other technologies as the CSP", said Ronaldo dos Santos Custodio, Director of Engineering and Operation of Eletrosul. The company has invested more than BRL30 million ($13.35 million) in the solar business so far, he added.

The solar measurement stations will be placed in a number of Eletrosul facilities, the hydropower plants Passo Sao Joao, Conversora Uruguaiana, both in the Rio Grande do Sul region, another one in the hydropower plant Usina Sao Domingos in the Mato Grosso do Sul region and a fourth station yet to be determined.

Despite the expected solar radiation levels, the sites have been selected due to existing transmission lines in the nearby and water resources. The stations will gather direct and diffuse solar radiation data as well as wind speed, rainfall and temperature.

Brazil is a country with a moderate potential for CSP in some regions where annual DNI can reach levels of 2,500 kWh/m² according to estimates derived from satellite observations. Despite this high level of DNI, its also a cloudy and rainy region and therefore, accurate data about DNI will be key to any further development of CSP.

As previously reported in CSP World, the government of the Pernambuco state announced on June 2012 the development of a 1 MW parabolic trough pilot plant to be built in the municipality of Petrolina, the Projeto Helioterm is currently under development and will start construction soon.

Back in 2011, SkyFuel signed and agreement with Brazil's Braxenergy to develop a 50 MW parabolic trough plant, but the project remains as a planned project.

Tender's deadline is July 1. For more info visit www.eletrosul.gov.br and www.licitacoes-e. com.br