Use of floating PV plants for coordinated operation with hydropower plants: Case study of the hydroelectric plants of the Sao Francisco River basin

[EN] In recent years, the Brazilian electricity sector has seen a considerable reduction in hydroelectric production and an increase in dependence on the complementation of thermoelectric power plants to meet the energy demand. This issue has led to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, which has intensified climate change and modified rainfall regimes in several regions of the country, as well as increased the cost of energy. The use of floating PV plants in coordinated operation with hydroelectric plants can establish a mutual compensation between these sources and replace a large portion of the energy that comes from thermal sources, thereby reducing the dependence on thermoelectric energy for hydropower complementation. Thus, this paper presents a procedure for technically and economically sizing floating PV plants for coordinated operation with hydroelectric plants. A case study focused on the hydroelectric plants of the Sao Francisco River basin, where there has been intense droughts and increased dependence on thermoelectric energy for hydropower complementation. The results of the optimized design show that a PV panel tilt of approximately 3 degrees can generate energy at the lowest cost (from R $298.00/MWh to R$312.00/MWh, depending on the geographical location of the FLOATING PV platform on the reservoir). From an energy perspective, the average energy gain generated by the hydroelectric plant after adding the floating PV generation was 76%, whereas the capacity factor increased by 17.3% on average. In terms of equivalent inflow, the PV source has a seasonal profile that compliments the natural inflow of the river. Overall, the proposed coordinated operation could replace much of the thermoelectric generation in Brazil.The authors would like to thank the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, CNPq; in Portuguese) for granting a productivity in research scholarship to Prof. Regina Mambeli Barros (PQ2, Process number: 301986/2015-0) and Prof. Geraldo Lúcio Tiago Filho and to the Brazilian Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Capes; in Portuguese) for granting the Master of Science scholarship to Naidion Motta Silvério and the Doctorate scholarship to Ivan Felipe da Silva dos Santos.Silverio, N.; Barros, R.; Tiago Filho, GL.; Redón-Santafé, M.; Silva Dos Santos, IF.; De Mello Valerio, VE. (2018). Use of floating PV plants for coordinated operation with hydropower plants: Case study of the hydroelectric plants of the Sao Francisco River basin. Energy Conversion and Management. 171:339-349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2018.05.095S33934917

Multidisciplinary Experience In The Selection Of Patients For Tubal Sterilization.

Results of the use of a special protocol for evaluation of patients requiring tubal ligation is presented after applied by a multidisciplinary group. The authors conclude that the use of defined parameters of age, parity, marital union duration, number of children alive and the presence of maternal clinical pathology are useful to identify patients with smaller chances of regret after surgery.27% of reproductive-age women in Brazil have chosen surgical sterilization as their contraceptive method. Most of these women who have undergone tubal sterilization opted for cesarean surgery. However, given the young ages of many of these women, many regret having been sterilized. This paper summarizes the experience of a multidisciplinary group in evaluating women who apply for surgical sterilization at the Department of Tocogynecology, Faculdade de Ciencas Medicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas in Sao Paulo. Detailed descriptions are presented of the medical and social characteristics of cases seen between June 1988 and July 1989. The authors conclude that the use of the defined parameters of age, parity, marital union duration, number of living children, and the presence of maternal clinical pathology are useful in identifying the patients who are least likely to regret undergoing surgical sterilization.113171572