Asuncion, IP Agency.- Itaipu has launched a binational call for tenders for the provision, installation and commissioning of a 1,000 kilowatt (kW) floating solar system in the reservoir of the Hydroelectric Power Plant.
The initiative, which seeks to advance the generation of solar-powered electricity, is being undertaken on a binational basis, with the support of the Itaipu Technological Parks (PTI) on both banks.
According to the Agency’s Renewable Energy Advisory Board, the call is aimed at consortia of Paraguayan and Brazilian companies, respectively.
This is a valid option for generating clean and renewable electricity through floating solar panels that will be located in the CHI reservoir. This action can also be applied to other bodies of water with similar characteristics.
The Paraguayan general director of Itaipu, Justo Zacarías Irún, highlighted the implementation of this initiative undertaken in a binational manner that will contribute to diversifying the generation of new renewable energy sources and will be very beneficial for the Entity.
He explained that initially a 10 MW power plant was planned, but finally the Executive Board authorized the first phase to be undertaken with a capacity of 1,000 kW.
“The floating solar plant that will be installed in part of the reservoir will be one of the most important in the region and the largest in Paraguay. This will allow us to identify and understand not only the generation component, but also the support system, monitoring and the most approximate costs, which only the studies that will be carried out will give us to make a practical application of the site. They will also help to identify the different environmental and energy parameters,” stressed the general director.
He also added that knowing the real costs is key to determining the optimization of the assembly area or increasing the size of the plant, in addition to the capacity and power. Regarding annual generation, he said that the idea is for the solar plant to produce approximately between 1,800 and 2,000 MWh of energy per year and that it will be for internal use in the priority area of ITAIPU.
Binational call
Likewise, the head of the Right Bank pointed out that the call is open to consortia of companies from both Paraguay and Brazil. “It is a binational process, the technical specifications necessary for the call for tenders were built in conjunction with the Left Bank,” he stressed.
The installation period for the floating solar plant is about 4 months, once it is awarded. If there are no major problems, it is estimated that even within this year the floating plant could be installed with an experimental phase and then the coupling and verification stage of its SCADA and monitoring systems would begin.
According to the information provided by the Renewable Energy Advisory Board of the Entity, the operation for connection to the systems would be put into operation within the first quarter of next year. Regarding the advantage of the floating solar plant, they pointed out that it is not necessary to alter the natural environment of the protected areas for its installation, a factor that they want to take advantage of and exploit. They also indicated that the area to be occupied in this first phase is less than 1 hectare.
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2024-08-01 01:40:07
