Tesvolt – Mandengo SMART Hybrid Irrigation Project (Brazil)
Who, What & Where
- TESVOLT GmbH
- Mandengo SMART Hybrid Irrigation Project
- Mandengo Farm, Quirinopolis, State of Goias, Brazil
The Company
TESVOLT GmbH is specialised in the development, manufacturing and supply of highly efficient energy storage systems based on lithium-ion battery cell technology. TESVOLT GmbH collaborates closely with industry-leading suppliers of components and concentrates on commercial and industrial applications with storage capacities ranging between 10kWh to large-scale containerised applications.
The Challenge
It is estimated that there are between 1,000 and 1,200 rural properties that use a diesel generator to irrigate in Brazil. The goal was to show the rural producers of Mandengo Farm the potential of solar energy and its applicability.42
The Mandengo Farm’s biggest challenge was that it was fully dependent on generators, creating high cost in electricity, diesel, and transportation preventing the land to bloom to its fullest. TESVOLT provided the solution to enhance the productivity in an environmentally friendly way, bringing the cost down from EUR 0.16/kWh to EUR 0.04/kWh.
The Farm is located in a remote area where internet access and wireless connectivity is limited. During project implementation, the day-to-day transportation to the project location was challenging due to rough terrain.
Renewable Solution
Technology implemented:
- TESVOLT System – TS HV with ABO inside (active battery optimiser)
- TS HV – High Voltage Generation
- Power: nominal power output of battery storage 150 kVA
- Battery capacity: 307.2 kWh in first construction phase; capacity expandable
- PV Installation -700 kVA / 800 kWp solar/ SMA Sunny High Power
Both BRYDS Soluções em Energia (EPC Partner) and IDEATEK (Service Partner) were trained and certified by TESVOLT Academy to commission the system successfully. The Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) was installed in a climatised room to prolong life expectancy.
A storage solution was required as a backup for the installed hybrid system. Therefore, a high-performance storage system with a high depth of discharge, many guaranteed cycles with easy installation and high operational reli e implementation of the SMART Hybrid Microgrid Optimisation. This is ensured by a one-time inspection per year and low internal energy consumption of the system electronics.
Project Outcome
With the implementation of this SMART Hybrid Microgrid project, the farm benefitted from an immediate diesel use reduction of approx. 70 l/hr to 25 l/hr. This marks a more than 64% reduction in diesel use and CO2 emissions.
The hybrid photovoltaic system for irrigation also enabled the farm to increase production from one harvest per year to three crops per year (beans, corn and soybeans). The implementation of the Mandengo project created approximately 50 new jobs and has effectively decreased CO2 emissions by approximately 1,076 tonnes per year.
Next Steps
The customer intends to double or triple battery energy storage capacity soon, after ascertaining that the SMART Hybrid Microgrid was a complete success. Optimisations continue to improve such as the firmware of the hybrid controller which is currently being improved and updated by SMA to better serve the existing consumption profile and maximise the power usage of BESS.