Neoenergia starts this week the final stage of the Future Energy Project, which, through smart grids, will modernize energy distribution in the cities of Atibaia, Bom Jesus dos Perdões and Nazaré Paulista, in São Paulo. By the end of this year, the company will install approximately 23 thousand new pieces of equipment, thus concluding the replacement for the 75 thousand customers in the region. The new system allows faster actions in cases of supply interruption, reducing the time and frequency in which this happens. Replacing conventional meters with the smarter, more modern model has no costs for customers and brings several advantages. One of these is that if supply is interrupted due to an accident, for example, the distributor is automatically triggered. In this way, any occurrences can be resolved more quickly and efficiently.
With the new meters, the consumption reading can be done
remotely, avoiding the need for displacement of the meter readers, who will be
trained to work in the analysis of data collected by the systems. In addition,
after the project is completed, the customer will be able to follow the energy
consumption on a daily basis, through the company's website. "With the
follow-up, the customer can save a lot of money, because he/she can see if
he/she is spending a lot in a certain period. This is a way to manage your own
consumption," says Heron, Neoenergia's smart grid superintendent.
Since last year, around 52 thousand meters have been
replaced in the Atibaia region. The goal is to replace the equipment of all 75
thousand customers. In the coming months, tests will also be carried out on the
system to ensure the remotely control of these meters.
FIRST PRIVATE MOBILE NETWORK
An important part of the project was the construction of a 4G mobile telecommunication network, to connect, in real time, the electrical network automation equipment and smart meters to Elektro's Operations Center. The investment in technology led Neoenergia to have the first intelligent 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) broadband network project in Latin America and the first private network of its kind in Brazil. The network operation in 3.5 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency was authorized by the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) and the technology was installed in partnership with Nokia.
FUTURE ENERGY
The modernization of grids involves an even more robust
project and seeks the installation of smart grids. This is a worldwide trend in
the energy market, focused on safety and distribution efficiency. Customers
directly benefit from the reduction of power supply interruptions and the
duration of these occurrences, often caused by problems such as traffic
accidents and atmospheric discharges. Neoenergia evaluates the expansion of the
project to other cities in the states of São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Bahia,
Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte.
COVID-19 PREVENTION
The company hired by Neoenergia to replace the meters with
the smart model is adopting a series of measures to avoid contamination by
Covid-19. The use of the mask is mandatory, alcohol gel is provided for
frequent hand hygiene and operational vehicles are sanitized daily. Employees
are also advised to keep their distance from customers during the replacement
period, which takes approximately 30 minutes.
This initiative is part of the Iberdrola group answer to Coronavirus.