Brazilian energy and telecommunication cooperative Creral that distributes electricity to 37 municipalities has announced switching on a 1.2 MW floating solar power plant in Minas Gerais calling it the 'largest' floating solar project to have come online in all of Brazil.
Located in Grão Mogol municipality of Minas Gerais state, the Veredas Sol e Lares Project was constructed was local engineering firm Mil Engenharia de Tapejara on the lake of Santa Marta hydroelectric power plant that's operated by power company Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais (Cemig).
The floating PV plant, owned by the State Association for Environmental and Social Defense (AEDAS), is covers a surface area of 11,000 m² and is equipped with 3,050 monocrystalline, dual glass, thin-film solar panels. It uses 7,600 floats, 60,000 meters of cables, among other equipment.
It will generate enough clean energy to serve 1,250 families in 21 municipalities of the semi-arid regions of Vale do Jequitinhonha and Rio Pardo. The project will be operated by Rio Grande do Sul consortium of Creral and Mil Engenharia de Tapejara for a year, while preparing a team to continue managing its operations.
"We have 7 hydro plants in operation and others under construction projects. With the knowledge we acquired, we now have the possibility of also implementing hybrid generation using the water depth of our plants, which can greatly increase our generation capacity," said Creral President Alderi do Prado.
Recently, Spanish energy giant Iberdrola picked Brazil to build its 1st ever floating solar plant on Xaréu Dam on the island of Fernando de Noronha to generate clean energy to account for over 50% of the electricity needs of Companhia Pernambucana de Saneamento (Compesa) (see Iberdrola Plans 630kW Floating Solar Project In Brazil).