The first stage of the largest floating solar plant has been kicked off in Brazil.
The UFF Araucária project is being developed by Empresa Metropolitana de Águas e Energia (EMAE) and KWP Energia. The plant is located at the Billings dam in the State of São Paulo.
The solar plant has the capacity to produce up to 10 GWh annually. The first stage was coordinated by Brazil’s Ministry of Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics.
As per the authorities, the plant consists of 10,500 plates on the water surface and had an initial investment of R$30 million. The project has 7 MW peak installed power.
“The project is very interesting because we are taking advantage of the water mirror to generate energy, we have the first floating photovoltaic plant that will generate energy commercially in Brazil. It is another step in our sustainability energy policy,” Tarcísio de Freitas, Governor of São Paulo, remarked.
He further stated that the project sets an example to generate clean, cheap and accessible energy.
As per the local reports, “the UFF Araucária project will be the largest in the country to operate commercially in distributed generation mode.”
EMAE’s CEO Marcio Rea was quoted, “This is a grandiose project, which leverages the photovoltaic sector on water slides. The forecast for the next two years is a lot of work with the installation of more plants. We are 100% committed to this objective.”
The project’s completion is likely for the end of 2025, with the delivery of another 75 MW of renewable energy and an investment of R$450 million, the company further stated.
