ABGD (Brazilian Association of Distributed Generation) and LESF (Energy and Photovoltaic Systems Laboratory), linked to FEEC (Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering) at UNICAMP (State University of Campinas), met at the beginning of this month to discuss partnerships and t actions for the solar sector.
The interest of both institutions is to promote the training of professionals and the certification of equipment and to promote research into the sector. The partnership was discussed in a meeting between the president of ABGD, Carlos Evangelista, the president of the ABGD Council, Guilherme Chrispim, and professor Marcelo Gradella Villalva, coordinator of the UNICAMP laboratory.
Initially, the two institutions will draw up a memorandum of understanding and then propose t actions. “Distributed generation of electrical energy is growing every day and has great potential to develop in Brazil, but in order to make a leap in the production of clean energy, it is essential to qualify people and develop knowledge about our sector; That’s why the market and academia need to be close”, commented Guilherme Chrispim, president of the ABGD Board, about the meeting.
In addition to disseminating information, the executive explains that the renewable sector is one of the sectors that generates the most jobs in the world. According to IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency), there are more than 11 million jobs.
“The population's environmental awareness has been growing and DG is a viable alternative for reducing the environmental impacts of energy generation, but there is still a lot of ignorance about how to make the transition, which is why the dissemination of information is very important”, he added.
Professor Villalva emphasized the importance of bringing companies and universities closer together, which will be made possible through the partnership with ABGD. “UNICAMP’s photovoltaic systems laboratory is open to companies interested in certification and product development for the solar sector.”
“We are one of the laboratories designated by INMETRO (National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology) for testing inverters and photovoltaic modules in Brazil. Furthermore, we offer the possibility for companies to carry out additional tests for their products.”, he reported.
Villalva also informed that LESF is implementing some qualification methodologies for photovoltaic modules and inverters, with tests that had not been carried out in Brazil until now.
In the area of inverters, for example, tests will be offered to qualify the behavior of equipment under operating conditions at high temperatures, as well as to attest to the efficiency of MPPT algorithms (maximum power point tracking), among other things.
The teacher also commented thatIn the area of photovoltaic modules, the laboratory will soon offer tests of the international standard IEC 61215, which includes thermal cycle tests, intense exposure to UV radiation, mechanical stress and degradation in a saline environment, among others.
