Between the Poles: Brazil's smart grid initiatives

Geoff Zeiss

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October 01, 2011

Brazil's smart grid initiatives

Brazil was tenth among the world's countries in smart grid investment in 2010, and is expect to rise to sixth in the future. It is forecasted that the smart grid market in South America will reach over $25 billion by 2020 led by Brazil and followed by Argentina and Chile and other countries.

I have been to Brazil over the past years a number of times and have found that the market drivers for smart grid in Brazil are quite different from North America.

Non-technical losses are a major source of lost revenue for electric power and water utilities in Brazil, and smart grid technologies especially distribution system automation will help in identifying where the losses are occuring and in finding a socially acceptable solution.

Brazil is hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics and is working to increase the reliability of the electric power system to prepare for these events.

According to Andre Pepitone da Nobrega, Director of ANEEL, the national electric power regulator, Brazil is currently drawing up regulations for smart meters so they can be certified by INMETRO [Brazilian National Institute of Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality] and made available commercially. The next step will be to work out the National Meter Replacement Plan with the Ministry of Mines and Energy. Regulations will also be drawn up by ANEEL, and there will be a public hearing where all parties are allowed to participate.

ANEEL has announced tentative plans for a nationwide rollout of 63 million smart meters by 2021. Large scale smart meter deployment is expected to begin in 2012.

Two major smart grid pilot projects underway in Brazil are

Between the Poles

Geoff Zeiss

November 2023

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October 01, 2011

Brazil's smart grid initiatives

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