As announced by Canal Solar, the residents of remote regions of the Pantanal began to have access to electricity in July. This is because the Ilumina Pantanal project officially installed a photovoltaic system last week, during a ceremony held in Porto de São Pedro, with four 345 Wp polycrystalline silicon s from BYD and battery storage at the home of Enaurina da Silva Rodrigues, 59.
Born and raised in the Paiaguás region, Enaurina is one of the more than 5 residents who will receive systems in their homes, in which the excess solar energy generated is stored to continue supplying electricity at night or on rainy and cloudy days. “With the arrival of electricity, a lot has changed. I got a refrigerator from Energisa and now I have cold water to drink, my food doesn’t spoil anymore, and I can watch the TV that my nephew gave me. The only thing I don’t need is a fan because I’m from the Pantanal and I’m used to the climate here,” said Enaurina.
“The supply of energy from a renewable source to the Pantanal in Mato Grosso is the result of investment in innovation, which brings the most advanced technologies to develop this pioneering solution that respects the environment”, stated Marcelo Vinhaes, CEO of Energisa Mato Grosso do Sul.
For Bento Albuquerque, Minister of Mines and Energy, the project brings dignity, perspectives and sustainability to the Pantanal. “This is a reward for public policies aimed at social well-being”, he highlighted.
According to Reinaldo Azambuja, governor of Mato Grosso do Sul, the partnership between public and private agents was fundamental for the universalization of the service in the region. “It is a gain in quality of life, social development, progress and increase in tourism and other economic activities”.
Ricardo Botelho, president of Energisa, commented that this program is proof that concern for the environment can be combined with well-defined public policies to produce favorable results for consumers, even in the most difficult to reach locations.
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Four 4 Wp polycrystalline silicon s from BYD were used. Photo: Chico Ribeiro
Energy will boost rural production in the Pantanal
Another point worth highlighting is that the project will boost rural production in the Pantanal. According to Armando Carlos de Lacerda, owner of the Porto São Pedro farm, the initiative will transform the Pantanal region into a fertile environment for the sustainable development of the families that live there. “Universalization represents modernity and definitely takes us out of the darkness and invisibility,” he emphasized. The farm is located near the Paiaguás logistics hub, where cargo is transported that uses the port as a multimodal platform connecting ships for transporting cattle.
Furthermore, the Acurizal Private Natural Heritage Reserve, where one of the IHP (Instituto Homem Pantaneiro) bases is located, will also receive energy generation and storage systems, which should be completed in September. The arrival of energy is essential, for example, to expand and improve scientific research on the region's fauna, especially jaguars, carried out by the institution. The input will make the researchers' daily routines easier, such as maintaining the database and handling the animals' identification collars.
About the project
Ilumina Pantanal is a partnership between the Energisa Group, the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and the Federal Government, through the MME (Ministry of Mines and Energy) and ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency). By 2022, the program will bring electricity to 2.167 consumer units, which represents around 5 inhabitants spread over an area of 90 km², in the municipalities of Corumbá, Aquidauana, Coxim, Ladário, Porto Murtinho, Rio Verde and Miranda.
Of this group, 77 families are already served by the conventional distribution network, and individual solar generation systems are now being implemented for the others. All consumer units will have basic electrical installations in the building, with sockets and LED lamps, which are more efficient and economical. In total, Energisa and the Federal Government are investing R$134 million in the project.
