UCB Power and FAS launch sodium battery solar project in Amazon community

UCB Power has inaugurated what it says is Brazil’s first photovoltaic power plant with sodium battery storage, installed in the remote Amazonian community of Tumbira. The project is a partnership with the Sustainable Amazon Foundation (FAS).

The plant has 20 solar modules of 375 Wp each, for a total installed capacity of 7.50 kWp. The storage system consists of 16 sodium batteries (48 V / 50 Ah), with a combined storage capacity of 38.40 kWh.

UCB Power has deployed more than 60,000 storage systems for off-grid consumers in Brazil, including individual systems (SIGFI) and microgrids (MIGDI), benefiting more than 240,000 people in remote areas. The new installation is located in the Rio Negro Sustainable Development Reserve and will support about 43 families. The initiative is tied to the Agnello Bittencourt Innovation and Education Centre for Sustainable Development (Nieds), providing training in entrepreneurship as well as education and healthcare services.

According to UCB Power, this is the first sodium battery installation at a power plant in the country.

“We believe energy is an essential enabler of education, food, health and development. With that purpose, we continue working to bring dignity and transformation through clean, accessible energy,” said Marcelo Rodrigues, UCB Power’s vice president of sales and innovation.

“This project, the result of the partnership between FAS and UCB Power, is an example of how innovative and sustainable solutions can change realities, promoting dignity and autonomy for traditional communities in the Amazon,” said Valcléia Lima, superintendent of Community Sustainable Development at FAS.

From pv magazine Brazil.