A GIS for Rural Electrification Strategies in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Abstract The World Bank estimates that approximately 1.2 billion people in the world still live without electricity. The UNs Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) seek to provide universal access to electricity services by 2030. In Brazil, with the implementation of social programs such as “Light for All,” access to electricity has been extended to more than 15 million people in recent years. However, many residential areas, mainly in the Brazilian Amazon, still lack access to the electricity supplies due to factors such as low population density, topography, long distances, lack of infrastructure, among others. This paper intends to elaborate and analyze hypothetical scenarios to investigate ways that allow planning and electrification strategies in the municipality of “São Gabriel da Cachoeira” located within the Brazilian Amazon. The OnSSET – a set of modeling tools based on QGIS – was applied with open access data. The aim was to identify an ideal combination of electrification options by considering network extensions, mini-grid and/or autonomous, solar, wind, hydroelectric and diesel solutions depending on the availability of resources. Our results show that photovoltaic solutions are the most adequate for the region, mainly because of the region’s high solar radiance, associated with low wind speeds and high diesel costs.