WEG announces the supply of a complete Energy Storage System in Utility Scale lithium-ion Batteries and the development of a Microgrid control, powered by several energy sources, for the Alcântara Launch Center (CLA), in northern state of Maranhão. This was done in partnership with the Brazilian Air Force and the Brazilian Space Agency. 

Signed with Sousândrade Foundation for the Equatorial Energia project, which is the company in charge for the construction, research and development of the microgrid at CLA's internal facilities, the contract includes the supply of BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) with an installed capacity of 1MW and 1MWh, commissioning, training and development of the entire plant microgrid control. 

Scheduled to go into operation in April 2022, BESS is intended to unify the distribution and expansion of the microgrid power generation system capacity. In addition, it will also disseminate the use of solar energy, which is part of the power system, and ensure safety, quality and resilience for power supply during launch of rockets. The project will also contribute for the reduction of environmental impacts since diesel consumption will be eliminated with the application of BESS. 

“Participating in this project is a great opportunity for WEG to show how prepared we are to serve the growing market for battery energy storage, also in Brazil. Our reputation for the supply of Battery Energy Storage Systems internationally is quite positive, and now we are advancing with development of solutions for microgrids control, which is considered a growing trend in this market”, says Manfred Peter Johann, Managing Director of WEG Automation Business Unit.

The construction and development of a smart electric energy microgrid to meet critical loads at Alcântara Launch Center internal facilities is part of the Research and Development program of the Equatorial Energia Group and the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL), and counts on the Energy Institute (IEE) of Maranhão Federal University of (UFMA) as a technological development partner.

For Marcelo Fernandes Augusto Jr, corporate executive for Digital and Innovation at Equatorial Energia Group, “this is a very strategic project, both due to the importance of encouraging the continuous technological modernization of Alcântara Launch Center, contributing to national scientific research, as well as to specialize in microgrids development and control, which have an increasingly and demanding application for the electrical sector ”.