Annual Report - EDP

: performance :As far as solar energy is concerned, the SunLabproject aims to test photovoltaic modules indifferent climate conditions (in Portugal) anddifferent positions in order to determine therelationship between energy generation and thesevariables, and subsequently develop decisionmakingsupport tools for future commercialdevelopments involving solar photovoltaictechnology. In 2012 the installation of four miniplantsin Faro, Santarém, Seia and Viana doCastelo was concluded and the data gathering andprocessing work has already begun.3.3.2. generationtechnologiesRD+I activity in the areas of power generationfocuses on two distinct aspects: solving existingconcrete problems in order to improve theeffectiveness and efficiency of the operation; andthe search for innovative technologies for thelong-term decarbonisation of the sector.In Spain, HC Energía’s Improvement in AlternatorAvailability in Co-generation Plants project wascompleted. The aim of this project is to improvediagnosis of problems not detected by vibrationanalysis. Also of note is the MultiYeso2015project, which seeks to generate scientificand technical knowledge on the marketing ofthe gypsum that is a by-product of the newdesulphurisation processes of HC Energía’s coalfiredpower plants.Of note in Brazil is the development project fora dispatch optimisation model aimed at achievingbetter energy harnessing, reducing powergeneration costs and promoting a range of tariffoffers for the end customer.In Portugal, the SAFEnergia project implementedby EDP Produção in partnership with InstitutoSoldadura e Qualidade (ISQ), for the developmentof non-intrusive diagnosis and inspectiontechnologies for thermal power plants is alsoworthy of mention.Carbon captureand storageCarbon capture and storage (CCS) technologiesare seen as a solution that will make it possible, inthe future, to reconcile the continued use of fossilfuels such as coal and natural gas to generateelectricity with the drastic reduction in carbondioxide emissions to the atmosphere that resultfrom that generation method. In this field, EDPhas been involved in three international projectsincluded in the EU’s 7th Framework Programmefor Research:º º DECARBit (http://decarbit.com), which is nowcompleted;º º FLEXI BURN CFB (www.vtt.fi/sites/flexiburncfb), which is aimed at developing anddemonstrating oxycombustion technology ona circulating fluidised bed (CFB). The projectintends to experiment with and demonstrate apilot 30 MW thermal unit that has been built byCIUDEN (www.ciuden.es) in Compostilla, andfor development of a preliminary design for aninstallation of this type on an industrial scale(300 MW electrical), which is expected to becompleted in 2013;º º COMET (http://comet.lneg.pt), which waslaunched in 2010, is a project for the technical,economic and environmental optimisationstudy of a transport and geological storageinfrastructure to serve the Iberian Peninsulaand North Africa (Spain, Portugal and Morocco)in an integrated way, linking the emissionsources with CO 2capture to the geologicalstorage sites. This project is expected to becompleted in 2013.603.3.3. smart gridsThe inovgrid project implemented by EDPDistribution focuses on the development of smartelectricity grids and networks and has taken ona high profile in recent years, gaining recognitionas a benchmark European project in this area.The project was selected by the EuropeanCommission from more than 260 projects Europewideas a case study for analysis of a cost-benefitassessment methodology for smart energynetwork projects.Studies carried out in 2012 showed that inovgridcustomers increased their energy efficiency by3.9% in comparison to other reference groups,based on the evolution of consumption in 2010 and2011. These results not only provide direct benefitsfor the customer, i.e. they reduce their bills andcontrol their consumption better, but also benefitsfor the whole power system and the countryitself, which sees its energy consumption cut anddependence on imported fossil fuels reduced.In late 2012 the project was expanded to include100,000 more customers in the municipalities ofGuimarães, São João da Madeira, Lamego, Batalha,Marinha Grande, Alcochete and Ilhas Barreira(Faro and Olhão), in an installation process to becontinued in 2013. This type of solution has to beextended to at least 80% of customers by the year2020, pursuant to an EU regulation.The success of this project led EDP to developthe InovCity Brasil project in the municipalityof Aparecida, São Paulo. It currently covers11,500 customers. InovCity is a pilot project forsmart metering and the testing of solutions fordevelopment of the distribution business in fourspecific areas: public lighting; energy efficiency;distributed generation and electric mobility.In the context of intelligent and safer distributiongrids and networks in the future, EDP is alsoinvolved in the OpenNode project. The main aimof which is to study and develop equipment fortransformer stations that constitutes an open,interoperable, extensible and modular platform,to integrate in smart grids.In Spain, the highlight in the context of the FuturedPlatform is the INNPACTO REDOX 2015 projectfor the development of an innovative, high-capacitypower storage system based on redox flowbatteries.3.3.4. energy efficiencyEDP has continued work in Portugal ondeveloping a Home Energy Management servicesplatform. In 2012, the first installations began,albeit restricted to micro-generation customers.The company also began implementation ofa new platform (UPower) for testing differenttechnologies in the area of smart grids/networksand energy efficiency, particularly the storageof energy.The EnRiMa (Energy Efficiency and RiskManagement in Public Buildings) project, in whichHC Energía is involved, is aimed at developingan integrated management system for supportingdecision making in energy efficiency matters.It is designed for managers of public spaces andbuildings that are classified as energy efficientand enables optimisation of the operation ofthese spaces while minimising costs, managingrisks and complying with energy efficiency andemission reduction requirements.3.3.5. electric mobilityEDP has been leading the MOBI.E projectin Portugal since 2010 (www.mobie.pt).The project’s pilot phase was carried out in 2012,A World Full Of Energy