Focusing on the quality of services for customers, Neoenergia is expanding the installation of smart grid equipment in the concession areas, preparing distributors for the future of the energy sector. The company advanced with the operation of schemes of the AIR System (Intelligent Network Automation), which promotes automatic reconnection. The investments expand the technology reach to more than 500,000 consumers in three states.
AIR acts in any problems that cause the interruption of supply, such as falling tree branches on the network. The system is able to identify the failure location and perform maneuvers to isolate the damaged section. In up to 60 seconds, the failure can be resolved and service is restored to the highest number of customers, with no need for human intervention. "AIR System is a critical technology for us to reinforce the reliability of the energy supply and offer more quality to our customers” says the manager of Standardization and Implementation of Smart Grids at Neoenergia, Daniel Picchi.
One of the cities benefited by the expansion of the system was Atibaia, in São Paulo, Neoenergia Elektro's area of operation, which already uses the technology since 2020 in 30 pieces of equipment. By the end of December 2021, 34 new reclosers were included in the system, covering over 26 thousand consumer units.
The company carries out the Energia do Futuro (Energy of the Future) project in Atibaia region. Through the initiative, the municipality has already received the installation of reclosers, sensors and smart meters, in addition to photovoltaic panels and other technologies, such as its own 4G network. The goal is to provide the infrastructure so the city can become a Brazilian example of the energy distribution model that is a trend in the world, the DSO, in which the concessionaire operates as a Distribution System Operator (DSO).
"Digitalization and automation enable the efficient and reliable control of the multi-directional energy flows that will emerge with the expansion of distributed generation, renewable energy, and electric mobility. This is a process that benefits the entire society by encouraging decarbonization and we seek to contribute to this change”, explains Daniel Picchi.
Northeast
Neoenergia Coelba installed AIR System in two cities, Eunápolis and Juazeiro. In both, it has been in operation since December 2021, serving almost 125 thousand consumer units. Also last month, the system started operating in Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Neoenergia Cosern concession's area, benefiting approximately 356,000 customers in the city. Neoenergia Pernambuco is serving the city of Timbaúba since May 2021, in a system that benefits about 10 thousand consumers. consumers.
Self healing
The group's distributors have, besides AIR, other network recomposition technologies, the decentralized self healing (SHD), also capable of restoring the energy supply in the event of failures with no need for human intervention. In 2021, 366 new SHD schemes were installed in 869 recloser equipment, serving over 865 thousand consumer units of the five distributors, including Neoenergia Brasília (DF). In all, Neoenergia has about 4,700 reconnecting equipment, of which 40% have self healing, installed in 244 municipalities in five states and the Federal District.
Altogether, Neoenergia has about 4,700 reclosers, of which 40% feature self healing, installed in 244 cities in five states and in the Federal District.
The positive result of the investments in network automation is further evidenced in the quality parameters determined by the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel), shown in DEC - an indicator that measures, in hours, the average duration of supply interruptions. Neoenergia Coelba, Neoenergia Pernambuco, Neoenergia Cosern and Neoenergia Elektro outperform the regulatory limit. In less than a year under the company's management and receiving robust investments in network automation, Neoenergia Brasilia, despite recording an indicator that is still not below the regulatory limits, is already showing a significantly better DEC result.