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Brazils largest microgrid has been launched at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp). The CampusGrid project combines a 565 kW solar system with a high-capacity 1 MW battery energy storage system (BESS).
The State University of Campinas (Unicamp) has launched the CampusGrid microgrid on its Barão Geraldo campus, in Campinas, São Paulo.
The installation integrates a 565 kW solar system with a 1 MW BESS, which offers up to two hours of autonomy. In the event of prolonged power outages, a natural gas generator guarantees 250 kVa until normal production is resumed.
The 45.3 million-real ($7.7 million) project, developed with CPFL Energia, is part of the Research and Development Program of Brazils National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel). It brings together researchers from the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), the Advanced Institute of Technology and Innovation (IATI) and the China Electric Power Research Institute (CEPRI).
“The CampusGrid microgrid, the largest university microgrid in Latin America and the Caribbean, covers an area of ??144,000 m² and combines innovative elements such as renewable and non-renewable energy generation, battery storage, smart metering and an autonomous control center that allows it to operate disconnected from the main grid,” said Luiz Carlos Silva, professor at Unicamp. “This ability to operate independently is especially crucial in cases of blackouts, increasing resilience to extreme weather events.”
The model promotes both sustainability and energy efficiency, while providing direct economic benefits. With photovoltaic generation alone, Unicamp expects to save around R$450,000 per year on its electricity bill.
“More than a local solution, CampusGrid is a living laboratory that allows us to validate technologies and broaden horizons for future applications,” says Silva. “From isolated communities in the Amazon to sectors such as mining and irrigated agriculture, the potential for replication is vast and strategic.”
The microgrid supplies power to facilities such as the Multidisciplinary Gymnasium, the Faculty of Physical Education, and the César Lattes Central Library and the Rare Works Library.
CPFL Energy Group CEO Gustavo Estrella said that intermittency is the biggest challenge facing the electricity sector, which must be addressed to integrate renewable energy generation in a sustainable manner.
“It is a great source of pride to see that we have managed to develop an economically viable technology to generate clean energy at an affordable cost, but we face the challenge of grid operation, which is the issue of intermittency,” Estrella said. “The world is working on it to figure out how to sustainably maintain the growth of renewable generation, combined with the issue of energy security.”
The growing share of intermittent sources such as solar and wind requires initiatives that balance sustainability with energy security.
“Our mission is to get cities and entire countries running on systems like the one we are launching here, in a sustainable way. We have high expectations about how we can contribute to global energy security,” said Gustavo Estrella, CEO of CPFL Energia.
CPFLs Director of Strategy and Innovation, Bruno Monte, told pv magazine that the technology can help integrate distributed generation into the grid.
“This project we are launching today is the largest pilot of its kind. It is something new, but it has the potential to help, in the coming years, both Brazil and all countries, to integrate distributed generation in a more seamless way, both for grid operations and for the delivery of energy to customers,” Monte said. “So, it is certainly a technology that should help in this regard in the medium term.” |
