Cemig creates tool to indicate availability of new GD photovoltaic connections

Cemig has developed an online tool in its portal to inform the availability of connection for new photovoltaic enterprise connections of distributed generation. The Availability Map of photovoltaic energy is a platform that will indicate the capacity of the electric grid of a region of the company’s concession area to receive new loads coming from mini-generation, and is an initiative of the company together with the State Government, through the Secretary of Economic Development of Minas Gerais.

The creation of the tool is another action of Cemig in order to leverage the growth of GD connections in the state, in response to a growing need of several potential new customers and the State Government to meet this energy demand. Currently, Minas Gerais represents about 20% of the GD connections in Brazil, with more than 40 thousand units already connected to its distribution grid.

The release of the new tool took place this Monday (06/29), in the Administrative City and was attended by the Governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema, and the CEO of Cemig, Reynaldo Passanezi.

According to a survey by the Minas Gerais Federation of Industries (FIEMG), for each gigawatt of energy installed in the state, it is estimated that 18,000 formal jobs will be generated and about R$ 874 million will be incorporated into the Minas Gerais GDP. According to the institution, in the next three years, 134 thousand new jobs may be created in Minas Gerais with investment in renewable energy.

“Solar energy is very important for the future of Minas Gerais and we can achieve important economic growth and considerable job generation with these investments. The growth and creation of companies depends on the availability of energy and the Government of Minas Gerais and Cemig are on the right path”, emphasizes Romeu Zema.

The Photovoltaic Availability Map is a pioneering solution in the Brazilian electrical sector, as Reynaldo Passanezi details. The CEO of Cemig also highlights that Minas Gerais has great potential in solar energy and is currently the leader in this market, with almost 8 thousand connections in the company’s electrical grid.

“Cemig has done a lot of research among distributors in Brazil and there is nothing like it. This tool shows the commitment and seriousness that the distributor has to serve its customers. Besides showing all the availability we have in our concession area, the tool also provides an estimate of the cost of the work customers will need to connect their projects to Cemig’s grid”, he explains.

CEMIG TECHNOLOGY

Cemig’s Photovoltaic Availability Map was developed by Cemig’s Planning Technician “Murilo Mendes Maia”, with the purpose of increasing the transparency and agility in the process of consulting cargo access and mini-generation. This way, the system intends to reduce the current deadline from 60 days to just a few clicks, besides enabling customers to locate points with greater technical feasibility, lower cost and connection deadline.

“With the growth of the distributed generation in recent years, Cemig has had to adapt to this demand. As the process requires many studies and analyses, we created the Photovoltaic Availability Map to optimize our processes and make the connection of these projects possible. Besides the simplicity in obtaining information, the tool will increase transparency and agility in studies, as well as directing entrepreneurs to feasible locations, with better use of assets and reduction of investments in the electricity system, which consequently contributes to tariff modality”, he says.

The Photovoltaic Availability Map includes all the more than 400 Cemig substations in the state, and also indicates the installations that are being implemented. The tool will classify the substations in four colors, according to the availability of each one:

• Green – There is availability to perform the service;
• Yellow – Availability is limited or conditioned to a structuring work;
• Red – The service capacity is 100% scheduled;
• Grey – The substation is planned for construction.

The tool has the purpose of improving the monitoring of connections, reducing the time of execution of works and identifying the situation of each connection point.

DISTRIBUTED GENERATION LEADERSHIP

Cemig is the distributor with the largest number of consumer units with distributed generation in the country, with a total of about 40 thousand units and an installed power of almost 500 megawatts.

The distributed generation allows the consumer to produce his/her own electric energy and send the surplus to the distribution grid of his/her region, which can be later compensated with the electric energy consumption of this same consumer unit or another consumer unit of the same ownership (Aneel resolution no. 482/2012).  Brazil is among the countries with the greatest growth potential in solar energy, especially because it has one of the best insolation rates in the planet.

It is also worth mentioning that Cemig has the largest investment plan in its history for the distribution grid, with investments of R$ 6.2 billion by 2022. Of this investment, 34% will be allocated to the northern and eastern regions in the state, where there is the greatest solar potential in Minas Gerais and the photovoltaic energy mini-generation projects.