Brochure Amb.Verde EN

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GREEN EMBASSYEnergy and Water Resources

THE PROJECT

Considering the Brazilian potential for solar energy and the global need for saving and reusing, the Italian Embassy in Brasília since the beginning of 2010 became a laboratory for sustainable experiments. It was done under a wide environmental strategy designed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called “Farne-sina Verde”. The Green Embassy Project consists of two sectors: energy and water.

The second stage of the Project was inaugurated by the Envi-ronment Minister of Italy, Corrado Clini, on April 4th 2012. This stage brings to discussion the exchange power between the Em-bassy and the Brasília’s Energy Company, besides the capture and validation of the technical data of both sustainable systems that are installed in the Embassy: photovoltaic panels and water phyto treatment.

Two Memoranda of Understanding were signed: the first one between Italian Embassy, CEB and University of Brasilia (UnB) for the photovoltaic sector and the second between Italian Embassy and the Company of Environmental Sanitation of Distrito Federal (Caesb) for the promotion of phyto treatment. One of the techni-cal and financial purposes of such agreements is the possibility

of using the data collected in both systems to create a profile of technical and financial feasibility of such initiatives.

The qualitative aspect of the Project involves the verification of their environmental and economic sustainability: the diffusion of such technologies occurs only under conditions that respect the environment and guarantees an advantage if compared with traditional technologies, without imposing unsustainable costs (either individual or social costs). The Green Embassy Project in-tends to propose different alternatives for the use of sustainable technologies and has the ambition to be an encouragement and an example to behaviours that will reduce the environmental im-pact and can be imitated by a large number of users.

The objective is to demonstrate how the solutions offered by the Green Economy may represent sustainable systems not only from the ecological standpoint, but also from the financial one, even if in periods of unfavourable economic environment.Due to the project Green Embassy, the Italian Embassy was recognized a Green Building Plus Rina. The recognition granted by Gruppo Rina – Italian Naval Registry, has validated it as an eco-sustain-able building.

Green Embassy

Satellite photo of the photovoltaic system installed on the roof of the Embassy

ENERGY

The solar plant was designed and conducted through the col-laboration of the Italian company Enel Green Power and the es-sential support provided by the Brazilian authorities responsible for electricity the National Agency of Electrical Energy (Aneel) and the Energy Central of Brasilia (CEB).

On the Embassy’s roof 405 photovoltaic panels of subtle film were installed. They are responsible for the electricity used in offices, in the safety staff housing and in the Ambassador resi-dence, and can reduce CO2 emissions by 7.6 tons per year. With an installed capacity equal to 49.01 kW, the Embassy has the second largest active photovoltaic plant in Brazil, only behind the one of Tauá (Ceará).

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The solar plant was inaugurated on February 9th, 2012 in the presence of Brazil’s Energy Minister, Edison Lobão, and other authorities

Green Embassy

Energy Exchange

The application of the energy exchange is, in fact, the aspect that makes the system more economically valuable, allocating some of the energy produced that otherwise would be lost. The technology that is currently available allows the accumulation of excess energy, but only through the acquisition and installation of a complex and costly system of accumulators.

The electricity produced by photovoltaic plant in the daytime, when solar radiation is consistent, is higher than consumption. Excess production is therefore assigned to the grid similar to re-imburse the amount of energy in the afternoon and night periods in which, by contrast, consumption exceeds production.

The energy exchange was allowed in an experimental way through an agreement with CEB, because of the lack in the Bra-zilian regulation. The 17th April 2012 Aneel has disclosed the law nº 482 which regulated and establishes the general conditions to the access to micro generation dispensed to the energy distribu-tions systems and compensation of electricity.

Number of photovoltaic panels 405

Area occupied by the plant 600 m2

Installed capacity 49,01 kW

Energy production (estimated) 86.162 kWh/year

Average Power consumption 453.371 kWh/year

Consumption after plant installation (esti-mated) 367.209 kWh/year

Energy saving 17%

Reduction of CO2 emissions CO2 7,6 Tn/year

Duration of the plant 30 years

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1 This is the cost of European market. For this experimental system the Embassy has benefited from favourable conditions to import components exempt of taxes and fees.

Abatement costs

This is an important aspect because it provides the basis for similar projects in a more accurate economic feasibility, thereby making the Italian experience attractive to other users.

The distributed photovoltaic generation system operates in the Italian Embassy since early 2011 and as a result, the monthly electricity consumption was reduced by 17% if compared with the previous year, with a saving estimated of R$ 20 thousands. Because the cost of the whole plant is about R$ 350 thousands, the estimated time of amortization is 17/18 years. The time is theoretical because of the “European” cost of the system; which is, as today, more convenient that the Brazilian one.

It must be considered also that the costs of the plant are de-terminated even by high Brazilian interest rate. We can say that for a Brazilian user, the 80% of the whole cost could be payed in almost 30 years. These conditions have to improve in early future because of the effective reduction of the price of photo-voltaic system, the increase of his productivity, the rising of the energy cost and the expectable reductions of the interest rates.

So we can say that in an early future the amortization could be almost absorbe in less than half of his duration time.

Cost of plant1 R$ 349.400,00

Cost of eletricity consumption in 2011 R$ 120.000,00

Energy saving 17%

Estimated savings in 2011 R$ 20.400,00

Source: UnB

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Source: CEB

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Monthly reduction of energy consuptiondue to the Photovoltaic System

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The great benefit generated by the Project is not only the en-ergy saving for the Embassy, but its indirect impact. Through this pioneering initiative, Italy demonstrates their strong support for the development of photovoltaic generation in Brazil and world-wide. The plant installed at the Embassy is acting as a showcase, and besides the fact that Italian companies are now inserted in the Brazilian energy context, it promotes the national market for equipment and services linked to renewable sources, which causes the reduction of installation costs and the spread of the photovoltaic system in Brazil.

From a scientific standpoint, the installation at the Embassy serves as an example of distributed photovoltaic generation, topic to be investigated intensively by the Brazilian scientific community, thus helping to add value and adapt photovoltaic technology to the country’s natural conditions.

A contribution to an energy policy that respects the environmental

For large plants and considering the current state of

Thanks to contributions from Led Brasil and Pramac LED lamps have been installed at the Embassy

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development of technologies for solar energy, the photovoltaic panels are normally not competitive with traditional sources, ex-cept for a few systems of last generation. When talking about small and medium plants, however, they are already competitive, and the Green Embassy project demonstrates that it can produce sig-nificant savings for users. A more widespread application of these technologies can consistently reduce the absorption of energy by many users and reduce the load on distribution networks.

Source: EPIA, GWEC, BNEF, EER (2011); WEO 2011 New Polices scenario (2020 min); industry reports - McKinsey (2020 max); EGP estimates

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Renewable Energy: a growing industry

Installed baseDelta

capacity

Expected GrowthCAGR

2011-20

Invest-ments2011

2010 (GW)

2011 (GW)

10-11 (GW)

%Min %

Max %

€bn

Hydro ~1,007 ~1,039 +32 3 2 2 ~62

Wind ~197 ~241 +44 22 10 14 ~58

Biomass ~60 ~64 +4 7 6 25 ~8

Solar ~39 ~66 +28 69 13 25 ~105

Geothermal ~11 ~11 +0,2 2 7 11 ~2

TOTAL ~1313 ~1,421 +107 8.2 5 8.7 ~235

WATER

The integrated system of water phyto treatment and reuse of wasted water from the complex of the Italian Embassy was built by a group of Italian and Brazilian companies (Ecomachine, Texep, CMO, Edilbras e Idéias) gathered by the group Ecoideias.

The black and gray water produced by the Embassy, rather than being released into the sewer system of the Society of En-vironmental Sanitation of Distrito Federal (Caesb) are collected and treated in purification plants built in the garden of the Em-bassy.

The system is simple: after the sedimentation of wasted solids in settling pits, the water passes into a reservoir in which the organic phase of clearance starts. A first mechanical filtration oc-curs when the water, following a downward path, cross several extracts of the land, composed of gravel and sand. At this stage the water comes in contact with bacteria in the internal reservoir,

The treatment of waste water from Italian Embassy is done in this garden

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which breaks down organic compound into simple inorganic molecules such as nitrates, phosphates, carbon dioxide. Then the water meets the plant roots which naturally absorb the com-ponents.

The phyto treatment does not require the use of chemical substances and is based on natural processes. At the end of the

process, the water that leaves the system does not contain pol-lutants and can be reinserted into the atmosphere or recovered and reused for the garden irrigation and other internal uses, to return again to the phyto treatment plant. The wasted water treated in this way can be purified until the point to be practi-cally considered as potable.

The Green Embassy is therefore a closed system with no out-let for the sewer system. To make the project more efficient, new technologies were applied to trickle irrigation and porous coils were installed beneath the turf. These techniques allow a more rational use of water resources, reducing losses due to evaporation, which above all in a dry climate city like Brasilia are particularly consistent.Makes a depuration plant then involves a number of clear advan-tages: it does not produce foul-smelling, and as already said, is a treatment performed in the basement; it has reduced construction

Water path within the phyto treatment plant

Green Embassy

costs and has made the management costs quite insignificant; and can finally beautify the landscape by using suitable plants which must be chosen evaluating the vegetation and architec-ture of the location where is performed. The system installed at the Embassy, for instance, has reference lines and asymmetrical arches of Juscelino Kubitschek’s bridge, honouring Brasilia’s ar-chitecture and creating a subtle link between this and the unique Nervi’s style.

Consume less water and produce no pollutants discharges

The phyto treatment plants are a simple and relatively inex-pensive way to reduce consumption and reuse water. For resi-dential developments of up to two thousand people, this meth-od represents a valid alternative comparing with the traditional system of sewers and wastewater treatment. Small and medium-sized plants of this type allow a remarkable reduction in costs for

The water treatment is done without use of chemicals

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the construction of a new sewerage system, avoiding costs for water purification, reducing consumption and respecting the rules on the treatment of water, enacted in 2010 by the Brazilian Government.

The water phyto treatment system allows a reduction in the volumes of water acquisition. For such a plant, rather than a con-sumption economy, its installation determines the total elimina-tion of discharges of gray and black water, which are currently purified and reused for garden irrigation.

The phyto treatment plant needs more space, if compared to conventional systems (about 4.3 square meters per inhabit-ant), but in terms of population served and quality of clearance it guarantees the more inexpensive solution if considered the con-struction and management costs. The system has no costs for management (only the emptying of the pre-treatment wells) and its duration is about 25 years.

Green Embassy

Plant’s cost (without cost of workers) R$ 116.000,00

Plant’s duration 25 years

Estimated annual savings on the consumption of water for irrigation of gardens

20% by volume of water recovered

Plants treatable volume min 4 m3/day – max. 60 m3/day

Estimated monthly volume treatable 100 m3

Annual water savings 1.200 m3

Hypothesis-time plant’s payment (esti-mated) 5 years

Financing systems:A GREEN LOAN ?

The Green Embassy Project show that the abatement cost’s time of both photovoltaic and phyto treatment may be short-er than the duration of the plants under certain environmental conditions. There are, therefore, conditions for a bank to study proposals for achieving the financial systems concerned with re-covering the loan quotas to pay based in the saving electricity and water bills.

For phyto treatment these condition already exist and Green Embassy is the proof. About photovoltaic the Italian Embassy in collaboration with the Department of Electrical Engineering of the University of Brasilia will continue to collect data for develop-ing new economic proposal which should considering the evolu-tion of three variables: interest rate, cost and saving of the plant and electricity price.

A green loan?

Partners:

• Ministero dell’Ambiente• Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica• Companhia Energética de Brasília• Companhia de Saneamento Ambiental do DF• Universidade de Brasília• Enel Green Power • Ecoideias

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