Avaliação de usina hidrelétrica-fotovoltaica-reversível - um estudo de caso na usina REPI (MG)

Abstract

This work presents a case study of a Small Hydropower Plant with a total installed capacity of 3.41 MW distributed between two units. Three operational scenarios were investigated, with a focus on the average generation power, during the critical historical period of short-term flows: from May 1951 to November 1955. In Scenario I, the Hydropower Plant (HPP) was evaluated in its current configuration, serving as a reference. An average power of 2.29 MW and a capacity factor of 0,67 were found. In Scenario II, an association of the Hydropower Plant with a floating photovoltaic Plant (FPV) was proposed. The FPV considered in this scenario has an installed capacity of 10 MWp and was dimensioned according to the available area in the reservoirs and the transmission network limit. The proposed method for the association resulted in an average power of 2.77 MW for the HPP (CF equal to 0.81), an increase of 21% compared to Scenario I. In Scenario III, an FPV with a capacity of 13.83 MWp and surplus energy production was proposed. The implementation of a binary Pumped Storage Hydropower (PSH) was investigated to store the surplus energy from the FPV. The PSH proved capable of storing excess photovoltaic energy and converting it into firm energy for the HPP; however, the gains were limited by the installed power of the HPP. There was an increase of 0.04 MW in the average power of the HPP (CF equal to 0.82) compared to Scenario II. Through the study, it was possible to verify that the association of an HPP with an FPV, and energy storage via PSH, are technically viable solutions that can assist in the expansion and greater participation of photovoltaic energy in the Brazilian electrical system in the coming decades. For future work, it is recommended to apply the method presented to different projects to verify its effectiveness.