Research and Development in our business
The Research and Development (R&D) activity is creative work, undertaken in a systematic way, to increase the collection of knowledge and for the use of such knowledge in the development of new applications, which can translate into new or technologically enhanced products or processes,. In the power distribution sector, Research and Development (R&D) means the constant search for innovative, better and more effective ways to provide services that ultimately enable or facilitate the economic and everyday activities of which life itself is made in society.
Innovation is one of the values of the Neoenergia Group and is directly related to initiatives that may add value to the business of its companies and, as a result, meet the needs of its stakeholders. R&D activities are structured by means of projects, whose results and products are designed to meet the established needs. Five strategic themes of R&D guide the prospection and development of new projects in the 2015-2018 cycle: Smart grid, Quality, Safety, Fight Against Losses and Sustainability.
To strengthen an organizational culture in line with this positioning, the Neoenergia Group incorporated to its structure a R&D Corporate Department in 2015 and maintains project lines, annually investing a percentage of its revenue in the area. Each year, the Neoenergia Group separates approximately R$25 million for investments - and this complies with the guidelines of the Technological Development and Research Program of the Electrical Energy Sector, of the Brazilian Electric Energy Agency (Aneel).
The R&D National Program for the sector was created to ensure the adequate allocation of human and financial resources in projects that result in the creation of new equipment and in the improvement of the provision of services, which contribute to the safety of the supply of electric power, the reasonableness of tariffs, reduction of the environmental impact of the sector and of the technological dependence of the country.