A well-lit city is also less violent. Contributing to savings in energy consumption and increasing the sense of security, four Neoenergia distributors have already carried out, between 2019 and June 2021, the modernization of public lighting in 32 municipalities, by replacing more than 26,052 bulbs with LED models. By the end of this year, the company plans to change 16,538 more in 19 cities, besides the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha. The actions are part of the Energy Efficiency Program (PEE), regulated by the National Agency for Electrical Energy (Aneel), and cover the five states where the concessionaires Coelba (BA), Celpe (PE), Cosern (RN) and Elektro (SP and MS).
The bulbs with LED technology have advantages such as energy gain, reduction of maintenance costs, greater visual comfort, and better visibility than conventional bulbs made of sodium or metal vapor. The LED model is also more sustainable, because it does not contain chemicals that, if not disposed of correctly, can harm the environment.
"With the energy efficiency measures in public lighting, energy savings are expected to reach up to 50% in some cities. The benefit is not only in the reduction of the energy bill, the maintenance costs are also reduced, since the useful life of LED bulbs is longer than conventional systems," says the Energy Efficiency manager at Neoenergia, Ana Christina Mascarenhas.
The bulb replacement actions were carried out in 23 municipalities in 2019 and 2020, plus nine more in the first half of 2021. Among them is Paulista, in the Metropolitan Region of Recife (PE), the first northeastern city to integrate the pilot project "Em Frente Brasil" (“Ahead Brazil", in a free translation), conducted by the federal government with the aim of reducing violence rates. Two districts of the municipality, Janga and Maranguape II, received the modernization, with the replacement of almost 3.4 thousand light bulbs.
In the Bahia city of Itaberaba, located near Chapada Diamantina, the cost reduction reached 60% in the 276 public lighting points that were replaced between January and February 2021. The municipality was one of those contemplated in the first half of this year, a period in which Coelba also benefited Itanagra, Mata de São João, Santo Antônio de Jesus, Santo Estevão, and Seabra. In the second semester, the capital, Salvador, as well as Acajutiba, Bom Jesus da Lapa, Brumado, Ibotirama, Muritiba, Vitória da Conquista, and the second stage in Santo Antonio de Jesus are planned.
Expansion
By the end of the year, the initiative will be extended to 19 more cities, totaling 51 cities in the five states and more than 42.5 thousand bulbs replaced. The actions support the municipal governments, responsible for public lighting in the municipalities.
The archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, in Celpe's concession area, will be one of the locations benefited by the project in the coming months. By September, all road bulbs will be replaced by LED models. There will be a total of 450 bulbs, which will lead to an estimated electrical energy saving of 76.5 MWh/year, enough to supply about 500 homes for a month.
In addition to the action to contribute to public lighting, Neoenergia has developed on the island several actions aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are a priority for the company: number 7 (clean energy) and 13 (fight against climate change). In the scope of the Energy Efficiency Program, the Noronha I and Noronha II solar plants were installed, which have already accounted for 10% of the island's electricity demand. There are also electric mobility and smart grid initiatives, contributing to the decarbonization process.
Celpe plans to benefit nine other cities in the second half of 2021, in addition to expanding the project in Paulista. In Rio Grande do Norte, Cosern's concession area, the city of Parnamirim has already received 600 LED bulbs in the first stage of the project, a number that should double by the end of the year, in the second stage.
At Elektro, the forecast is to cover until December the municipalities of Buri, Cabreúva, Junqueirópolis, Pilar do Sul and Tietê, totaling 7,565 replaced bulbs. Services in Piracaia, Araras and Piedade have already been completed in the first half of the year. Between 2019 and 2020, the beneficiaries were Águas da Prata, Arujá, Atibaia, Dracena, Fernandópolis, Guarujá, Jales, Mairiporã, Panorama, Peruíbe, Registro, Santa Isabel, São João da Boa Vista, Sete Barras, Três Lagoas, Ubatuba, Vargem Grande do Sul and Votuporanga.