“Incentivized energy has always had a higher price than conventional energy, around 20% to 30% more expensive. Today, the scenario is different, we closed a lower price than what we paid for the conventional one in the last contract”, celebrates Vicente Costa, coordinator of the Energy and Water Division at Unicamp. Unlike conventional energy, the incentivized energy is produced from renewable sources, such as that generated in solar and wind plants that do not emit polluting gases.
This is the origin of the electricity that will supply Unicamp units in Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz from 2024 to 2026. It was contracted in December 2022, as a result of the planning of the Energy Management System (SGE) and intersectoral coordination. These strategies constitute significant advances since 2002, when Unicamp became part of the Free Contracting Environment (ACL).
created by Law No. 9. 427 of 1996, the “incentivized energy” category diversifies and decarbonizes the national electricity matrix.
According to Leandro Cesini, a doctoral student at the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering (FEEC/Unicamp), this contract strengthens Unicamp's socio-environmental commitment and reduces budgetary expenses. “If the contracted energy was conventional, that is, generated from sources considered non-renewable, at the current price, we would pay around 900 thousand reais more per year”, highlights the researcher. It also integrates the work group which studies and defines procedures for permanent monitoring of electricity purchase and management contracts (GTAC-ENER).
Luciana Pizatto, administrative coordinator of GTAC-ENER, compares the prices and advantages between the types of incentivized and conventional generation. Negotiated with the company trader, the investment was just over 38 million reais and, as it was incentivized energy, it received a 50% discount on the Distribution System Usage Tariff (Tusd) — policy of the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel). This rebate is included in the calculation mentioned by Cesini and directly affects the transport contract for this energy, signed between Unicamp and Companhia Paulista de Força e Luz (CPFL).
The last three contracts demonstrate a moderation in purchasing for the years 2022 and 2023. If the quantity contracted in this biennium is compared with the volume of contracting for the three-year period from 2019 to 2021, the average reduction reaches almost 5%. The percentage still improves to just over 6%, comparing the values from 2022 and 2023 with those from 2024 to 2026. On the other hand, if the parallel is between the three-year periods, the drop exceeds just over 10%. Furthermore, there is a proportional distribution of energy between the years of the last two contracts, which did not occur in the first, due to an internal perspective.
“These previous volumes [2019 to 2021] were calculated based on Unicamp’s growth forecast. However, this structural growth of the University did not occur, meaning that this amount of energy distributed did not represent the expected consumption”, explains Costa. He, who is also an electrical engineer and is part of GTAC-ENER, cites the assessment of market availability, climatic aspects and the construction of buildings as essential criteria for hiring. The economic crisis affecting universities and the pandemic impacted the works that would be completed and developed.
Strategies and Articulations
To make this possible, GTAC-ENER prepared a hiring report presented to the Unicamp administration. The document prioritized the amount of energy to be contracted, the term and contractual flexibility, the financial guarantee and the viability of investment in incentivized energy.
The process included the collaboration of University City Hall, General Directorate of Administration (DGA), gives Attorney General (PG) and from Integrated Planning Executive Board (Since), through the Living Laboratory of Energy Transition, Efficiency and Sustainability Unicamp Sustainable Campus.
Linked to the Technical Chamber of Energy Management, the Unicamp Sustainable Campus has been developing actions, research and projects since 2017, establishing an energy management model on Unicamp campuses. Supported by the Rectory, one of these works resulted in the creation of GTAC-ENER, which aims to improve the process of purchasing electricity. “Even before the Unicamp Sustainable Campus was institutionalized — which was fundamental for us to continue this process of improvements, even through the support of the academy in relation to the measures to be taken —, we, as a technical area, were often stuck defending public good”, concludes Vicente Costa.
Article originally published on the Sustainable Campus project website.
