José Marcos Bressane, EPE

By Natalia Margarido (Poli-UPS) and Kim Smet (SEAS)

 

Visits to EPE and ONS

After ten days of intense lectures and site visits all the pieces of Brazil’s energy system finally fell into place with meetings at EPE and ONS in Rio de Janeiro. The earlier portion of the course focused on the different power generation sources, providing detailed technical information such as turbine types, capacity factors and efficiency. Today, these individual pieces were constructed into the bigger picture, looking at overall system operation and future planning.
 

At EPE, we had the opportunity to hear about the energy plans for Brazil in the coming decades and were introduced to some of the research that is conducted there. In particular, the future plans to increase wind power generation were an interesting case of complementarity: wind is strongest in the dry season making it a perfect addition to the current hydropower-reliant energy matrix. 

ONS constitutes the day-to-day decision-making agency responsible for running the integrated power system. From a NASA-like control room, engineers use the output of hydrologic and optimization models to provide specific instructions regarding which power sources should be producing energy on any given day and at what capacity. The ongoing energy shortage in Brazil added additional gravity to our visit, raising questions about the future reliability of the system.

Despite only spending 22 hours in Rio de Janeiro, we managed to squeeze in a quick walk on the beach and had some great sightseeing from the bus. So while this certainly was not a long enough visit, we got a brief glimpse of life in this vibrant city.  

Kim is a Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Engineering, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

 




Natália is a 6th-year undergraduate student in Environmental Engineering, Poli-USP - Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo

By Ligia Monteiro

The site visit to Operador Nacional do Sistema (ONS) was in my opinion one of the best experiences in the field course. ONS is a national organization that decides every day how much energy will be generated by each hydropower and thermopower plants. This decision is based on the results of an optimization model that aims to minimize the energy generation costs and, consequently, maximize the hydropower dispatch as reliable as possible.

So far, I think that this visit was the most remarkable. I've been working in an undergraduate research position since 2011 within a project that aims to develop a new programming model to optimize the hydropower dispatch. I've studied a lot about the ONS and how the decisions are made. Therefore, the opportunity to finally be there, visit the operation center and ask questions was really important to me. Now I feel that my research, expected to finish next February, is almost complete!

Lugia is a 4th-year undergraduate student in Environmental Engineering at Poli-USP - Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo.

By Jason Smith ‘15

This course has truly been an incredible experience on so many levels. As my first time out of the country, coming to Brazil has taught me so much, not only about Brazil, but about the United States as well. Every presentation we have seen, and every site visit has been directly applicable to environmental and renewable energy technology, and I have been soaking it up as much as possible. Perhaps even more important has been the opportunity to build lasting relationships with so many new people. Surrounded by some of the best faculty in the world, I have been able to have fascinating conversations with professors on everything from hydrogen electrolysis to climate change from agriculture. The network of students I have met has brought me much closer to some of the ones I already knew from Harvard, and created a new group of friends from Brazil that are not only valuable as educational connections, but as meaningful relationships as well.

By Luciana Mascarenhas

After a marvelous and rainy time in Paraty, a great visit to Angra nuclear power plants and a brief day in Rio, we’re coming back to São Paulo. I can’t believe that in just three days I’ll have to say goodbye to these wonderful people and return to my reality.

The course has been great in many ways. I’ve learned a lot about energy generation, and now I have more property to say that Brazil is heading towards more wind and nuclear power, more big hydroelectric dams, and, as soon as solar energy becomes more competitive, I’m sure it will become another of our country’s energy source. We’ve had visits that one only can dream about, like Angra I, II and III, boat ride in Billings reservoir, tram ride along Henry Borden’s pipes, the National Operator System (ONS) and the Energetic Research Company (EPE).

But what’s making this course unforgettable are the people. We’re having the opportunity to create bonds and straighten the ones that already existed. We’re showing Harvard students the Brazil we know, and some can’t wait to come back. We have fun every night, and every free minute we spend talking and getting to know each other.

I hope these friendships don’t end here, and that we can collaborate with our universities. I’m gonna miss everyone! Vou sentir saudades!

Luciana Mascarenhas is a 5th-year undergraduate in Environmental Engineering at Poli-USP.