Promoting Renewable Electricity Generation in South America Newsletter 8/2014 Welcome to the eighth and final REGSA newsletter The REGSA (Promoting Renewable Electricity Generation in South America) project is a cooperation scheme involving universities from Germany and South America, specifically Bolivia, Brazil and Chile. The aim of REGSA is to contribute towards increasing the use of electrical energy generated from renewable energy sources in South America as a way to improve environmental conditions and thereby enhance energy security and alleviate the poverty in the project areas. Furthermore, it directly supports sustainable energy options in the partner countries. To achieve this goal, new electricity grids are due to be established which will integrate the use of renewable energy as a source of electrical energy. These grids are to be developed especially in rural areas. In addition, extensive baseline studies, as well as scenario building on the topic of renewable electricity generation, are carried out, including political, technological and socioeconomic aspects. Different activities to raise awareness and practical support are undertaken to improve the planning and design of policy frameworks. Furthermore, infrastructure feasibility studies are undertaken, the results of which should eventually lead to the increased use of clean energy technologies. Finally, REGSA gives direct support in the form of a feasibility study to three pilot communities by means of the pilot project Renewable Electricity Communities. This facilitates regional dialogue and capacity building, which can subsequently be used as a best-practice model for other regions in South America. The REGSA newsletter gives an insight into the efforts and results made by the different partners. Enjoy reading! Veronika Pahl News from Bolivia Conference: Research Lines in Renewable Energy On July 3rd the conference: Research Lines in Renewable Energy was held in the Bolivian Catholic University. Experts in energy and from important institutions of Bolivian government and research institutes relating to renewable energy were invited to this conference. The objective of the conference was to discuss the progress in renewable energy in Bolivia in order to achieve a research agenda that provides a path for the realization of priority research that responds to the most urgent energy needs of the Bolivian population and overcomes the weaknesses and gaps of existing knowledge. The seminar provided an overview of the state of progress of renewable energy in the world and in Bolivia, as well as having elements of a diagnosis of the Project is funded by the EU.
situation and shedding light on the most relevant research topics. It also revealed gaps in government policies that have to be resolved and defined research topics to be studied for the implementation of alternative energies particularly in rural areas, such as environmental assessments and gas emissions, as what is lacking in the current situation. Feria: Alternative energies for all The Vice Minister of Electricity and Alternative Energies, and the Vice Minister of Science and Technology invited the REGSA Project, as member of the national net of researches in Renewable Energy, and the Bolivian Catholic University to participate in the National Feria: Alternative energies for all, held in La Paz (July 24-25), Cochabamba (July 30-31) and Santa Cruz (August 12-13) of this year. The aim of the Feria was mainly to inform the population of La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz about Alternative Energy Technologies and current National Projects, private and public. This Feria took two days by department, attracting more than 3 500 people. The participants were school students, students from institutes of electrical or related areas, universities, and public and private entities who work with Alternative Energies. In this Feria, REGSA participated together with the Catholic University, presenting the efforts of the university and its career of Environmental Engineering. REGSA presented the pilot project in Bolivia and the studies made in the past years, it also delivered all its dissemination products to the participants. Pilot Project Bolivia The Bolivian Pilot project was developed in the Rural Academic Unit of Carmen Pampa in La Paz. This Academic Unit was chosen because of two main reasons: first because as a unit of the Bolivian Catholic University it s possible to ensure its sustainability in the long run, second because it hosts more than 540 students that come from all the rural communities around and even other parts of the country in order to educate them as professionals. The concept was design based on the need of the Rural Academic Unit for lower costs and better quality of life for its students. The objective is to generate an offer of electric and thermal supply from renewable sources, to replace a part of the electricity consumption of the campuses, taking advantage of the hydraulic potential of the drinking water supply of Carmen Pampa and solar radiation. A commutator was also made that will allow prioritisation of the electricity produced by the hydroelectric system, and only take electricity from the national grid when the hydro cannot supply the demand. In this sense, the project was implemented with the help of volunteers of the Academic Unit of Carmen Pampa and also of the community. This allowed for increasing the benefits for the students at the end, implementing not only one but three water solar heaters. These workers will be the same as will be in charge of the maintenance of the project, and together with other technicians and more students they participated in a capacity building lead by REGSA project through the capacitors that guide the implementation. They were taught not only about the maintenance of the mini hydro, the solar heaters and all the completed system, but also about the uses of renewable energies for electricity creation and the possible uses of renewable energies in daily life. www.regsa-project.eu
News from Brazil Three books published containing papers presented at the REGSA Conference held in Florianopolis, Brazil in May 2014 The books contain a set of papers presented at the REGSA Conference held in Florianopolis, Brazil, in May 2014. The event was undertaken as part of the project Promoting Renewable Electricity Generation in South America that aims at contributing to an increase of the renewable energy share of the electrical power generation in Bolivia, Brazil and Chile (REGSA). These three books will be especially useful to energy providers, local authorities, companies, entrepreneurs and the general public, including NGOs, as well as consumers. 1. Bioclimatic Architecture and Sustainable Urbanism Architecture and urban development are guided by sustainable planning and management visions, which promote interconnected green space, a multimodal transportation system, and mixed-use development. There is a per- ceived need for public and private partnerships, which should be used to create sustainable and liveable communities. In addition, policymakers, regulators and developers should support sustainable site planning and construction techniques that reduce energy consumption, foster energy efficiency and create a balance between comfort and energy friendly practices. It is widely known that energy efficiency has a variety of commercial, institutional, educational uses as well as influences on housing design and prices. However, there are few publications which tackle energy efficiency through strategies and projects. This book addresses this need and provides a contribution to the state of knowledge in this field, by gathering a set of scientific papers and descriptions of projects and initiatives in Latin America and beyond. 2. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Production Renewable energy, or energy produced from a source that is not permanently depleted, is a fast growing field. Sunlight, wind, flowing water, geothermal heat and plants are examples of renewable energy resources that can be produced today without damaging their ability to be produced in the future. Over the past decade the use of renewable energy on the one hand, and energy efficiency on the other are becoming more important to people, industry and governments. This is because, apart from the fact that these energy resources are not depleted, they are becoming less expensive and have a softer environmental impact. But despite this strong background, there are few publications which tackle renewable energy and energy efficiency by looking at policies, opportunities and challenges. This book addresses this need and provides a contribution to the state of knowledge in this field, by gathering a set of scientific papers and descriptions of projects and initiatives in Latin America and beyond. 3. Environment and Sustainable Development Sustainable development has been defined in many ways, but the most frequently quoted definition is from Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report: Sustainable development is development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: A the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world s poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and B the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment s ability to meet present and future needs. The definitions of sustainable development require that we see the world as a system which connects space and time, and that takes into account ecological issues on the one hand, and social, economic and political matters on the other. But despite the relevance of sustainable development, there is a shortage of publications concerned with the complex interactions which occur between development and environment. Therefore, the purpose of this book is to illustrate ways and means for achieving sustainability in all human activities aimed at such development. Researchers from Unisul and REGSA Project participated in The World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities (WS- SD-U-2014) and give a lecture at Cambridge University Unisul and REGSA researchers: Professor José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra (director of REGSA Project at Unisul and Dean of Unisul Business School ), Professor Luciano Dutra (REGSA Supervisor at Unisul, coordinator of the specialization in Sustainable Architecture and Bioclimatic and Professor of the undergraduate program in Architecture and Urbanism), Eng. Norma Beatriz Camisão Schwinden (Professor of the undergraduateprogram in Architecture and Urbanism and Civil Engineering) and Suely Ferraz de Andrade (Professor of the undergraduate pro- gram in Architecture and Urbanism) participated at the World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities and gave a lecture at Cambridge University. Professor Baltazar Andrade Guerra, was invited by the Cambridge University Brazilian Society, the Exploring Latin America Society (Cambridge University) and the Chilean Cambridge Society to give a lesson at King s College, in the Latin American Seminar on renewable Energy, held in the John Maynard Keynes s auditorium. In this opportunity, Baltazar presented the results of the pilot module REGSA Project, developed by Unisul, which implemented the 1st Solar School in Brazil, at Roberto Schütz School, in the District of Taquaras, municipality of Rancho Queimado. In Cambridge, the researchers from REGSA could also meet with the researchers from the Cambridge Centre for Climate Change Mitigation Research and discuss possibilities for joint research between this centre and the Research Group on Energy Efficiency and Sustainability at Unisul (GREENS). The work of the REGSA / Unisul delegation continued in Manchester, in the 2nd World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities (WSSD-U- 2014) with the participation of Professors Baltazar Andrade Guerra, Luciano Dutra, Norma Beatriz Camisão Schwinden, Suely Ferraz de Andrade, Mario Correa Sá e Benevides and students Issa Ibrahim Berchin, Ane Cristina Figueiredo Pereira de Faria and Jessica Garcia (graduate in International Relations). The participation of REGSA / Unisul delegation in the World Symposium on Sustainable Development took place through the participation of Professor José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra as a member of the Symposium Scientific Committee and as Chairman of the Session: implementing sustainable development in the activities, operations and facilities of campus. On this occasion, were also presented two articles entitled: Social Feasibility in the adoption of renewable energy: The Case of REGSA Project, whose authors are José Baltazar Andrade Guerra, Leandro dos Santos Piazza and Ane Cristina Figueiredo Pereira de Faria. And a second article that addressed the Role of the University in promoting the use of Photovoltaic Energy in Brazil. This article was authored by: Alek Suni (Fulbright Research Fellow, Researcher REGSA and former exchange student Unisul, Graduate of Pittsburgh University) Mario Correa de Sá e Benevides and Jose Baltazar de Andrade Guerra. Both articles were selected to be published in the book: Integrating Sustainability Thinking in Science and Engineering Curricula, Published by Springer. Project is funded by the EU.
News from Chile VESUSCON Project enters the final stage In Chile the VESUSCON (Sustainable Vehicle Condor) project is being developed, which involves the design, construction and implementation of an electric vehicle capable of Vehicle to Grid (V2G), utility and community. The community chosen to implement this project is Huatacondo, which has a power generation system micro-grid type. An electric vehicle with V2G capability allows its energy storage to exchange power with the network to which it connects. In this project, the power exchange is performed through the same electronics that control vehicle traction. Thus, better use of space both inside the car and at the charging station is achieved, and the investment costs are reduced. The use of the V2G concept applied to the Huatacondo micro-grid allows for naturally defining two modes of operation: Electric Vehicle mode (EV mode), where the vehicle is disconnected from the network and can perform work through its system drive; and V2G mode where the vehicle is parked, connected to the network and can provide ancillary services of load balancing, current harmonics filtering and smoothing power steps, all upstream to the connection point. One of the strengths of VESUSCON project is the strong interaction of the development team and community representatives throughout the conceptualization and design phases of the project. So far in 2014 the community work has focused on administrative issues and decisions on the loading point. Regarding the loading point, i.e. the physical space where the vehicle will be parked to connect to the network and operate in V2G mode, it was concluded that it will be in the same building where the generator, batteries and the micro-grid inverter are located. The space currently allocated is being used to store oil barrels, but will be released in the coming months. This has been a great achievement, since the problem of cargo space was raised at meetings of the community and was resolved by the people through an idea, a signed commitment and concrete actions. www.regsa-project.eu
With respect to the technical component, currently the design stage has been completed in its entirety. The end of all aspects of mechanical construction and partially electrical installation is expected during the month of August. Mechanical construction areas addressed include developing the chassis, rear-wheel drive, front steering system, suspension system, brake system, among others. The areas of design, construction and electrical installation include electric traction rear, traction power controller / V2G, battery system, energizing auxiliary system for electronics, etc. Importantly, in the area of mechanical engineering, a class of 60 students studying Electrical Engineering at the University of Chile is working on the News from Germany construction of fiberglass parts for the fairing and vehicle loading zone (mudguard, roof, load pick-up). It is expected that the vehicle will be operating in Huatacondo in the first half of October. Therefore, in the first week of September we may be testing the traction of the vehicle and begin its implementation on the ground in the last week of September. The safety and reliability of the vehicle is one of the main requirements to be monitored in this period. The final stage will be the connection to the network and work with the community for training and trial run. Contact Germany Lead partner Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg) Faculty of Life Sciences Research and Transfer Centre Applications of Life Sciences Prof. Dr. Walter Leal, Julia Gottwald, Veronika Pahl Ulmenliet 20 21033 Hamburg, Germany Tel.: +49.40.428 75-6354 Fax: +49.40.428 75-6079 E-mail: regsa@ls.haw-hamburg.de Website: www.haw-hamburg.de/ftz-als.html Bolivia Universidad Católica Boliviana Instituto de Investigaciones Socio-Económicas Dr. Javier Aliaga, Adriana Bueno Lanchez E-mail: abueno@ucb.edu.bo Website: www.ucb.edu.bo HAW Hamburg attends second world conference for sustainable development at universities The second world conference for sustainable development at universities was organized by the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences and the Manchester Metropolitan University (UK). More than 200 participants from 32 different nations met from the 3rd to 5th September 2014 in Manchester to exchange their experiences and to discuss the newest trends on sustainability at Universities and comparable institutions. The head of the symposium was Prof. Dr. (mult.) Dr. h.c. (mult.) Walter Leal from the Research and Transfer Centre Applications of Life Sciences of Hamburg University of Applied Life Sciences. The symposium was organized in cooperation with the Manchester Metropolitan University, the most environment-friendly University in Great Britain. 120 presented papers, which were elected in a Peer-Review-Process, were released as a three-volume publication at the publishing house Springer under the control of Prof. Leal. Furthermore, many projects were introduced. One of them was the REGSA project. Brazil Fundação Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina Prof. José Baltazar S. O. Andrade Guerra, Prof. Arq. Luciano Dutra E-mail: Baltazar.Guerra@unisul.br, Luciano.Dutra@unisul.br Website: www.unisul.br Chile Universidad de Chile Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas Dr. Luis S. Vargas, Dr. Guillermo Jiménez Estévez, Manuel Díaz Romero E-mail: gjimenez@ing.uchile.cl Website: www.die.uchile.cl For more information, please visit www.regsa-project.eu.