Scheduled to be inaugurated, solar power plant on Caximba landfill will be a sustainability milestone for Curitiba

As of the afternoon of March 29, Curitiba's birthday, the solar power plant installed on the former sanitary landfill of Caximba, baptized as Pirâmide Solar do Caximba, will start operating. The nearly 8,600 photovoltaic panels, distributed over an area of 50,000 square meters and connected to Copel's distribution network by a seven-kilometer transmission line, will have an installed capacity to generate 4.55 MWp of energy, producing enough to supply the consumption of 30% of the municipality's public buildings and generate savings of R$ 3.5 million to the city hall annually.

The inauguration comes one year after the beginning of the plant's implementation at the site and promises to be a milestone for the city in terms of sustainability, not only because the municipality will now produce part of the energy it consumes, but also because it places it as an active player in the search for alternatives that aim to mitigate climate change.

"The project was conceived in partnership with an international association [the C40], which brings together the largest cities in the world in an effort to confront climate change. There was an international call for proposals and we were selected [to receive resources], because, according to the institution, the project fits very well in the discussion we are having about energy transition, about increasing the use of renewable sources," explains Marilza do Carmo Oliveira Dias, municipal environment secretary.

More than that: because it is installed on top of a deactivated landfill, the new plant can give a function to an area that was simply considered an environmental liability.

In operation from 1989 to 2010, the Caximba landfill received about 12 million tons of waste. When it was deactivated, it was completely sealed, but until today it demands monitoring work in the area and treatment of the leachate that continues to be produced - and also an investment of half a million reais per month. "The project has this characteristic of giving a new use for this area that could not have any other use", summarizes Marilza.

To guarantee the success of the enterprise, which is the first of its kind in Latin America, the project was developed with the help of international consultants. It was at this stage that it used the financing from the Cities Finance Facility (CFF) of the C40, for which it was selected. "The site is still subject to movement, so the whole base supporting the plates had to be adapted. The idea is that the movements, if they happen, will not damage the plates," explains the environment secretary.

The implementation cost the municipality about R$28 million - an investment that should pay for itself in eight years, considering the expected savings.

From 30% to 60%

The Caximba Solar Pyramid is one of the initiatives of the Curitiba More Energy program, which includes a series of projects developed with resources received from the CFF to expand the renewable energy generation portfolio of the city government and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.

Other measures of the program that are already in operation are the installation of photovoltaic panels at the 29 de Março Palace, at the Barigui Park's Hall of Acts, and at the Four Seasons Gallery, in the Botanical Garden. Small solar plants will also be installed on the Rododoferroviária and the Santa Cândida, Boqueirão, and Pinheirinho terminals. "When they are all installed, the installed capacity will be 8 MWp and the energy generated will supply 60% of the city hall's consumption," says Marilza.