Companhia Hidrelétrica do São Francisco (The São Francisco Hydroelectric Company – CHESF) recently installed 7,300 solar panels across 10,000 square meters of the Sobradinho Hydroelectric Power Plant’s reservoir on the São Francisco River in Bahia is capable of generating 1 megawatt peak (MWp) Such installations have previously only been built on land The floating platform is fixed to the bottom of the reservoir by cables Alternating current-direct current (AC-DC) converters will soon be installed to connect the solar farm to the transmission lines of the main plant is believed to be more effective than panels installed on land The effects of such energy production on river fauna are still unknown the new solar farm is expected to be completed in the second half of 2019 with the installation of another 42,700 panels in the region increasing its potential energy capacity to 4 MWp enough to supply power to up to 20,000 homes CHESF is using the project to demonstrate the technical and environmental feasibility of floating solar farms more could be built on other reservoirs or even on large rivers such as those in the Amazon and the Midwest of Brazil avoiding the need for land expropriation and reducing energy loss © Revista Pesquisa FAPESP - All rights reserved Thank you for choosing to be part of the Latin America and Caribbean community The latest blog posts and blog-related announcements will be delivered directly to your email inbox You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience The 1 MW array – to be expanded to 5 MW – is being tested before official commissioning a 175 MW hydroelectric facility on the São Francisco River The floating array at the Sobradinho dam is among the innovative generation projects being studied by Chesf Image: Marcello Casal Jr/Agência Brasil/Wikimedia Commons Brazilian hydroelectric power producer Companhia Hidroelétrica do São Francisco (Chesf) which serves several cities in the northeast of the country has completed a 1 MW floating PV plant at the Sobradinho dam a 175 MW hydroelectric facility on the São Francisco river in Sobradinho It is part of a BRL420 million ($109 million) R&D program aimed at developing solar energy and other innovative projects in the northeast of Brazil The PV plant is the country’s largest R&D project for solar on water “The goal is to study and compare the efficiency of photovoltaic technology naturally cooled by water since the solar modules lose efficiency under strong heat,” added Chesf the Centro de Referência em Energia Solar de Petrolina is developing a further 3 MW of innovative solar projects and analyzing their performance and technologies Chesf has previously deployed a floating array at the Balbina dam a hydroelectric facility and power station on the Uatumã river in the Amazon rainforest The company began considering the development of floating projects after the Brazilian government announced a plan in 2014 to incorporate such facilities at all the country’s reservoirs a drought affected several hydroelectric power plants in Brazil’s southeast and central regions More articles from Emiliano Bellini Please be mindful of our community standards and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This website uses cookies to anonymously count visitor numbers. View our privacy policy. × The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this Close LDS youth in Brazil participated in a special devotional in preparation for the world convening in their country for the XXXI Olympiad (see Church News Aug General Authority Seventies offered remarks and several youth performed musical selections who is already a familiar face to many Brazilians the whole country of Brazil was introduced to the talented young singer when she impressed all four judges during the first season of the reality show “The Voice Kids,” a TV show that reveals musical talents from ages 9 to 15 and is broadcast on a national television network not only showed that she has an amazing voice she is willing to live and uphold her high standards and values a Mia Maid from the Sobradinho 2nd Ward in the Brasília Brazil North Stake drew attention after wearing her Young Women pendant during her performance the costume designers asked her to remove her necklace because the rules of the show do not allow the use of any religious symbol the young woman asked permission to wear the pendant She explained its meaning and her dress standards and recited the Young Women theme and motto the costume designer allowed Nicole to wear her necklace and choose her own clothes What you said was so beautiful that from now on you can wear whatever you want.’ I wore my necklace in all of my performances on ‘The Voice Kids.’ That was my way to express: I’m here “young women … wear the pendant as a symbol of who they are Upon entering the Young Women organization and starting to work on their Personal Progress “young women [are invited] to make a commitment to hold up their light by being an example and remaining worthy to make and keep sacred covenants” (Personal Progress Nicole said she believes that having a good example is very important for people to be converted to the gospel “It’s important when someone who conveys the happiness he or she has because of the gospel makes others want the same and seek to know how it is possible.” The young women of the Sobradinho 2nd Ward — as well as Nicole’s family — made a significant difference in showing her their support Alfredo and Iraci Marinho Luz raised their children in the gospel “I have always had my parents as an example Eliot and Aquiles — Nicole acquires the strength to raise her voice and her light as a standard for the nations She said she was sad when she was eliminated from “The Voice Kids,” but she had prayed and felt the Spirit and knows that everything has its due time ‘Could it be that this is what Heavenly Father wants so that I experience even more growth and development?’ Everyone grows slowly I know the Lord knows everything and He will always be there for me After “The Voice,” Nicole was selected to participate in an international talent competition called iPOP! competing in Los Angeles against 500 youth from 80 countries She returned to Brazil with a silver medal for winning first runner-up as best singer in the “teen” category “My desire is to be able to share music with other people for the rest of my life and to share the gospel through music.” Her greatest dream “Maybe to sing for the prophet someday,” she replied with a smile Metrics details A lithostratigraphic section of the maximum flooding zone of the Romualdo Formation at the Sítio Sobradinho outcrop was performed thirteen samples were collected for micropalaeontological analysis and six petrographic slides were prepared for microfacies analyses Petrographic analysis was carried out with a Zeiss Axio Scope.A1 microscope equipped with a Zeiss AxioCam MRc camera at the Applied Micropaleontology Laboratory (LMA) of the Federal University of Pernambuco Microphotographs of petrographic slides and selected carbonate microfossils were obtained from a Phenom XL scanning electron microscope (SEM) at the LMA The specimens presented here were deposited in the LMA under the collection numbers LMA-00029 to LMA-00073 Distribution and abundance of microfossils recovered from the Sítio Sobradinho section. Figure created by Robbyson Mendes Melo on CorelDRAW version 22.0 (https://www.coreldraw.com) Foraminifera recovered from the Sítio Sobradinho section: 1–19 Scale bar: 1–14 = 100 µm; 15–43 = 30 µm Ostracoda recovered from the Sítio Sobradinho section: 1–4 ostracodes and other microfossil data from the Romualdo Formation indicates that the local Alagoas Stage (Ostracoda Zone RT-011) can now be constrained to the Aptian The foraminiferal assemblages show Tethyan affinities suggesting a marine route coming to the Araripe Basin from the equatorial South Atlantic with north seawater origin The age of the Cretaceous Santana Formation fossil Konservat Lagerstätte of north-east Brazil: a historical review and an appraisal of the biochronostratigraphic utility of its palaeobiota Phosphatized ostracod with appendages from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil Quelônio Amphichelydia no Cretáceo Inferior do Nordeste do Brasil Insetos (Hymenoptera) cretáceos do Grupo Araripe - Nordeste do Brasil Biostratigraphy of Lower Cretaceous microfossils from the Araripe Basin The function of the cranial crest and jaws of a unique pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil Mohr, B. A. R., Bernardes-de-Oliveira, M. E. C. & Loveridge, R. F. The macrophyte flora of the Crato Formation. Crato Foss. Beds Brazil Wind. into an Anc. World 537–565 (2007) https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511535512.020 Revisão da paleoflora das formações Missão Velha A new mesosuchian crocodilian from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of North-Eastern Brazil An updated review of the fish faunas from the Crato and Santana formations in Brazil Cretaceous dinoflagellate provincialism in Brazilian marginal basins Tafonomy of macroinvertebrates and Albian marine ingression as recorded by the Romualdo Formation (Cretaceous New brachyuran crabs from the Aptian-Albian Romualdo Formation Santana Group of Brazil: Evidence for a Tethyan connection to the Araripe Basin New records of shrimps from the Lower Cretaceous Romualdo Formation with new taxa of Penaeoidea (Crustacea: Decapoda: Dendrobranchiata) arquitetura deposicional e faciologia da Formação Missão Velha (Neojurássico-Eocretáceo) na área-tipo Nordeste do Brasil: Exemplo de sedimentação de estágio de início de rifte a clímax de rifte Tectonic history of the Borborema Province in Tectonic Evolution of South America (eds Análise comparativa da paleogeologia dos litorais atlânticos brasileiro e africano A contribution to regional stratigraphic correlations of the Afro-Brazilian depression - The Dom João Stage (Brotas Group and equivalent units - Late Jurassic) in Northeastern Brazilian sedimentary basins Tectono-stratigraphic evolution of the Upper Jurassic-Neocomian rift succession Sequências deposicionais do Andar Alagoas da Bacia do Araripe The transgressive-regressive cycle of the Romualdo Formation (Araripe Basin): Sedimentary archive of the Early Cretaceous marine ingression in the interior of Northeast Brazil Paleogeografia do Atlântico Sul no Aptiano: um novo modelo a partir de dados micropaleontológicos recentes Aptian/Albian (Early Cretaceous) paleogeography of the South Atlantic: a paleontological perspective Arai ‘Aptian/Albian (Early Cretaceous) paleogeography of the South Atlantic: A paleontological perspective’) Arai ‘Aptian/Albian (Early Cretaceous) paleogeography of the South Atlantic: A paleontological perspective’ Jenkyns, H. 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M. Mid-Cretaceous planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy off central Morocco, Deep Sea Drilling Project Leg 79, Sites 545 and 547. Initial reports DSDP, Leg 79, Las Palmas to Brest 579–620 (1984) https://doi.org/10.2973/dsdp.proc.79.122.1984 The upper Aptian-Albian succession of the Sergipe Basin Brazil: an integrated paleoenvironmental assessment Towards an integrated biostratigraphy of the upper Aptian-Maastrichtian of the Sergipe Basin Brazil Moullade, M., Tronchetti, G. & Bellier, J.-P. The Gargasian (Middle Aptian) strata from Cassis-La Bédoule (lower Aptian historical stratotype, SE France): planktonic and benthic foraminiferal assemblages and biostratigraphy. Carnets géologie (Notebooks Geol. (2005) https://doi.org/10.4267/2042/1460 Barremian-Aptian Praehedbergellidae of the North Sea area: a reconnaisance Evolution in the Early Cretaceous planktonic foraminiferal genus Blefuscuiana Planktonic foraminifera from the Cretaceous of Trinidad B BouDagher-Fadel, M. K., Banner, F. T. & Whittaker, J. . E. The early evolutionary history of planktonic Foraminifera. British Micropalaeontological Society Publication Series (British Micropalaeontological Society, 1997). https://doi.org/10.2307/1486073 Boudagher-Fadel, M. K. Biostratigraphic and geological significance of planktonic Foraminifera. Developments in Palaeontology and Stratigraphy (University College London, 2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-53638-9.00001-5 Barremian-Aptian calcareous plankton biostratigraphy from the Gorgo Cerbara section (Marche central Italy) and implications for plankton evolution and geochemical analysis of the uppermost Hauterivian Faraoni Level in the Fiume Bosso section Evaluating the evidence on the opening of the Equatorial Atlantic Gateway and its global impact in Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs vol palaeobiogeography and palaeoecology of Albian-Maastrichtian pithonellid calcispheres: Impact on Tethys configuration Ammonite and foraminiferal biogeography and the opening of the Equatorial Atlantic Gateway in 1er Symposium International de Paléobiogéographie 12 (Université Pierre et Marie Crurie Microbialite fields developed in a protected rocky coastline: the shallow carbonate ramp of the Aptian Romualdo Formation (Araripe Basin in Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology (eds Q99–Q421 (Geological Society of America and University of Kansas Press Ostracod faunas in the Purbeck and Wealden of England The central palaeo-Andean basin of Bolivia (Potosi area) during the late Cretaceous and early Tertiary: reconstruction of ancient saline lakes using sedimentological paleoecological and stable isotope records Ostracod biostratigraphy and palaeoecology of the Purbeck Limestone Group in Southern England Ecological strategies in the ancient asexual animal group Darwinulidae (Crustacea Western Gondwana non-marine ostracods from Early Cretaceous low-latitude ephemeral lake A color guide to the petrography of carbonate rocks - grains (American Association of Petroleum Geologists Flügel, E. 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Marcos Pontes pointed out the importance of Amazonia 1 for the country “The satellite will be crucial for monitoring the Amazon and other ecosystems in addition to launching a new era for the Brazilian satellite industry,” said the minister on the MCTIC website which aims to generate remote sensing data to observe and monitor the Amazon region The Amazon Mission plans to launch two additional remote sensing satellites: the Amazonia-1B and the Amazonia-2 Nine companies participated in the production process of the Amazonia 1 satellite; five of them are connected to the São José dos Campos Technology Park in addition to several government agencies acting director of Strategic Intelligence and New Businesses at the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB the equipment construction and operation process “helped train the national industry on systems and subsystems increasing the maturity level and requirement for insertion of the Brazilian technology in the global space market.” There has been a global increase in space industry investments only 49 countries invested in the space industry 79 countries invested in the sector,” according to the AEB website the space economy is expected to reach a value of $1 trillion The launch vehicle market alone is expected to reach around $20 billion by 2030.” For more on security and defense issues around the globe Please press and hold the button until it turns completely green If you believe this is an error, please contact our support team 147.45.197.102 : d0fab39b-8151-47c2-b589-40d6f739 One of the activities carried out last Friday was a conversation in the format of Youth Talk a space for speaking and listening in which the young people who take part in the Youth of Expression Program can express themselves openly "It's more comfortable talking to people our age about the problems that we share With teachers there is an issue of respect One of the agents of expression that participated in the activities believes the exchange brings contributions to all: "They are learning something different They already work with educommunication [pedagogical methodology that proposes the use of technological tools and communication techniques in learning] and with the same themes that we work here He also said that he felt especially motivated by the commitment shown by the Cape Verdeans one of three teachers from Cape Verde who accompanied the students added: "It is clear that the problems of Brazil and Cape Verde are similar We are here deepening methodologies that we have used to discuss AIDS but now we intend to adopt new ways of addressing these contents" The students are part of the Space for Information and Orientation project which provides a physical space where they discuss issues related to their age Today they participated in a workshop on STDs and AIDS prevention together with the Young People Living with HIV/AIDS Network after drawing up a work plan for future actions based on their experiences in Brazil Aimed at reducing the vulnerability of young people to violence the Youth of Expression Program is carried out by Caixa Seguros Group in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO in Brazil) and the Central Única das Favelas (Cufa/DF) Copyright©2025 UNODC, All Rights Reserved, Legal Notice Tractebel will develop the basic design of three floating PV projects at the 52.2 MW Batalha hydropower project which is owned by Brazilian state-run power company Eletrobras Furnas will develop the basic design of three floating PV arrays with 30 MW of capacity at the 52.2 MW Batalha hydropower project II and III will feature 90,900 solar panels “The balance of photovoltaic modules needed to meet the target will be developed on the ground making use of what was once the construction site of Batalha Hydro,” the engineering services provider added Floating modules on unused hydroelectric reservoirs is a “smart” way to reduce carbon emissions the manager of Tractebel’s renewables unit The Batalha hydropower plant is located on the São Marcos River a hydroelectric facility and power station on the Uatuma River in the Amazon rainforest Floating PV presents a particular advantage in Brazil as the modules and floating mounting structures could help to reduce evaporation from already challenged water reservoirs while also bolstering electricity supply in times of drought The POWER MINISTERs of all STATE s and Union territories of India including in the Center must UNDERGO RIGOROUS TRAININGS IN THE MAJOR SOLAR POWER INSTALLATIONS SITES IN INDIA…. COMPULSORILY ANYWHERE INDIA ,FOR GRADED TRAININGS WITH ON-SITEPRACTICAL a subsidiary of French floating PV specialist Ciel & Terre has completed Brazil’s first floating solar project standing at 304kW capacity on a rainwater accumulation pond at Fazenda Figueiredo told PV Tech that the firm is developing two other 5MW floating projects in Brazil: one in Balbina in the Amazon region; the other one in Sobradinho in the northeast Bahia region The project in Bahia is very close to the start of the construction, while the Balbina plant is likely to start construction in the first semester of next year. C&T’s flagship product is its Hydrelio floating solar solution, which it is deploying in multiple locations across the globe, including one of the largest ever floating projects in China (70MW) Ludwig also said that Brazil’s policy environment is highly favourable at present “There’s a new law in the Sao Paolo state for example that is very interesting because you don’t need any environmental approval for projects equal or under 5MW if they don’t have suppression of vegetation so the floating projects are very interesting in [the] Sao Paolo region,” he said “The project in Sobradinho; the approval for environmental process took about two weeks so it was very very fast because of all the different studies we have around the world that show there is no environmental impact with this technology.” a joint venture between Ciel & Terre and Brazilian company Sunlution has also partnered with petrochemical company Braskem in Brazil for the high density polyethylene floats to be manufactured with Braskem resins Braskem is also working as a business development partner with C&T looking for new project opportunities “Our Hydrelio product is the solution of less investment to increase the generation of energy in existing hydroelectric and wind farms and we believe that Brazil has enormous potential for this market junior managing partner of Ciel & Terre Brasil we have upgraded our product offerings and features to bring you the best experience please check your email inbox for password reset message from PV Tech and follow the instructions Can\'t find the email? Try to sign in again and use the "Forgot Password" button If you have any questions please contact us “We are the bow and you are the arrows": Indigenous women celebrate Célia Xakriabá and Sonia Guajajara in ancestral possession telegram Join our Telegram channel! telegram They are not alone! Between songs, dances, prayers, headdresses, maracas and many colors, the federal deputy Célia Xakriabá (PSOL-MG) (learn more in the box at the end of the news) and the Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara (PSOL-SP) were blessed by the grace of the “biome-women” during an ancestral inauguration ceremony at the Indigenous Policy Training Center of the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai) The celebration took place in parallel with the official inauguration of the parliamentarians and was part of the schedule of the Pre-March of Indigenous Women which took place from January 29 to February 1 The event was organized by the National Articulation of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestrality (ANMIGA) in partnership with the Mission Council among Indigenous Peoples (Comin) In a demonstration of support for the candidacy and election of Xakriabá and Guajajara to strengthen female candidacies through the Bancada do Cocar initiative The ceremony also celebrated Guajajara's appointment as Minister of Indigenous Peoples mobilizer and organizer of the Indigenous Women's March leader and now the first secretary of the Indigenous Peoples of Pará spoke of the importance of ANMIGA in the election of the Bancada do Cocar we not only gave strength to both Célia and Sonia They had the courage not just for themselves but for this strength that comes from all territories of Brazil”.  ANMIGA made several caravans through the Brazilian biomes talking about the axis of the indigenous campaign “And we want to continue the caravan of women from the land "We started the day today with a lot of emotion with a lot of strength and with a lot of joy" during breakfast organized at the Darcy Ribeiro Memorial to start the day dedicated to his ancestral possession and that of his “very close” companion in the fight it is a day that marks a new moment in the history of indigenous peoples" said the Minister of Indigenous Peoples  she remembered with the indigenous women present the moments of struggle and mobilization the Terra Livre Camp (which takes place annually in the federal capital) marches and even races on the lawns of Brasília “There is no way to look at each one that is here and not remember these moments” The minister also recalled the trajectory and struggle of the first indigenous federal deputy and now the first indigenous woman president of Funai, joenia wapichana "We're going to bring even more and more women into those places of power."  Wapichana was present at the ancestral possession and spoke about the reconstruction of a country that needs to recognize and consider indigenous peoples and women because what we left out of legislative proposals Celinha [Xakriabá] will continue to defend In the midst of many speeches by the indigenous women present indigenous women from the states of the Amazon came to the pre-march to demonstrate support for the Bancada do Cocar declare that they are not alone and legitimize trust in the work of the elected relatives “We came bringing our strength of ancestry We are the bow and you are the arrows” said Edna Shanenawa one of the representatives of the indigenous women of the Amazon With the “prayer” of protection of the “root women” to defend the rights of the indigenous peoples with great force the secretary of the Indigenous Peoples of Pará also received the blessings; the secretary of the Indigenous Peoples of Ceará Juliana Jenipapo Kanindé; the secretary of Environmental and Indigenous Territorial Rights and the executive secretary of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples in addition to the secretary of Indigenous Health Throughout the day of the ancestral inauguration Sonia and Célia were joined by the ministers of Racial Equality and of the Environment and Climate Change in a walk held on the lawn in front of the National Congress A post shared by Anielle Franco (@aniellefranco) Gonçalves placed the Ministry of Women at the disposal of indigenous women “I want to bring the warmth and affection of most Brazilian women That Congress will belong to the original peoples with these two mandates”.  placed herself as an ally of the cause of indigenous women Find ways for our indigenous girls to no longer suffer from violence A letter from ANMIGA was delivered to the first lady with propositions to contribute to improving the lives and guaranteeing the rights of indigenous women in the six biomes of Brazil The document has eight axes: Protection and Infrastructure in the Territories “We will remain mobilized in the strength of our ancestry we remain firm in the fight for the lives of women and for our territories in different biomes to rebuild democracy in Brazil Because it is necessary to resume the public policies of Gender Equality with our participation in the production of policies that dialogue with our specificities: Never again a Brazil without us!" The theme of the Pre-March was “Voices of the Ancestry of the six biomes of Brazil” and was a preparatory stage for the construction of the agenda and planning of the 2023rd March of Indigenous Women for the “March of Originaries” and for the ATL XNUMX in April “It's the flame of the ancestral fire that we bring to this place” emphasized the co-founder of ANMIGA Célia Xakriabá she was interested in knowing what politics was always questioning the leaders of her village They said she would go far and become a deputy I never thought I would be in this place.” Xakriabá traced its path to re-signify the traditional white politics the urucún and the indigenous woman.  “I understand politics when people are participating I understand politics when people are having a dialogue I understand politics when they are involved in a life project and for me it's the best way to do politics I did not follow the paths of the old traditional Brazilian politics A post shared by Célia Xakriabá (@celia.xakriaba) The most relevant news for you to form your opinion on the socio-environmental agenda LAST ISSUE Brazil: France’s Vicat Group has acquired a majority share in Cimento Planalto (Ciplan) It has signed a binding agreement to buy a 65% share for Euro290m through a reserved capital increase Ciplan will use the proceeds of the share to settle the ‘vast majority’ of its existing debt Vicat noted that the transaction will be debt funded and its closing is subject to the fulfilment of ‘certain’ conditions Ciplan operates a 3.2Mt/yr integrated plant at Sobradinho in Bahia near to Brasilia It also runs nine ready-mixed concrete plants and five aggregates quarries Vicat says that this acquisition is intended to support its targeted external growth and geographical diversification strategy In order to ‘capture’ the Brazilian market the company plans to leverage an industrial asset base abundant quarry reserves and a competitive position in its local markets Power plants on reservoirs and lakes offer a sustainable option for increasing electricity generation in the country Power generation by photovoltaic solar panels accounts for about 11% of the Brazilian electricity mix This percentage could grow in the future as panels are increasingly installed on the roofs of houses and industrial buildings A recent Brazilian study shows that installing floating solar farms on just 1% of dam reservoirs would allow the country to generate enough clean and renewable energy to supply 16% of the country’s electricity demand That would be equivalent to the amount provided by the Itaipu hydroelectric plant Electricity generation is not the only benefit of floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems They are also capable of reducing evaporation from reservoirs improving retention in locations where water security is low The findings were made by the Energy Planning Program (PPE) team at the Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Engineering Research and Graduate Studies of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (COPPE-UFRJ) Two articles describing the results were published in international scientific journals The study on the technical potential of producing electricity using FPV systems was published in the January 2022 issue of Renewable Energy which focused on how FPV systems can prevent water evaporation at dams in semiarid areas was initially defended as a doctoral thesis at the PPE by agricultural engineer Mariana Padilha Campos Lopes supervised by Marcos Aurélio Vasconcelos Freitas and David Castelo Branco An article presenting the results of the thesis was later published in the Journal of Cleaner Production in November 2020 “Any type of covering over the water affects the variables behind evaporation such as direct solar radiation hitting the water’s surface FPV systems generate energy that can be used to power water pumps and irrigation systems or even to supply electricity to the grid.” The researcher based her work on the 618 dams in the Apodi-Mossoró basin where 45% of the water in the reservoirs evaporates every year This leads to dam reservoirs frequently reaching critically low levels forcing public authorities to seek water from other locations to supply local residents using water trucks Alexandre Affonso / Revista Pesquisa FAPESPInstalling FPV panels over just dead volume areas at dams in the Apodi-Mossoró basin would generate enough electricity to supply 1.33 million homes meaning it would easily supply the entire population of Rio Grande do Norte where there are a total of 1.23 million homes The dead volume refers to the deepest areas of a reservoir where the water is below the catchment pipes The study highlighted that 20.6 million cubic meters (m³) of water would be saved annually around three times the entire volume of Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon in Rio de Janeiro If solar panels covered 50% of the total area of the reservoirs in the Apodi-Mossoró basin enough energy would be generated to supply 5 million homes and the total volume of water preserved could fill Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon 13 times The technology used in FPV systems is no different to that used in ground-based solar farms or panels installed on rooftops which have become a common sight nationwide The only difference is that the panels are mounted on a floating platform which is held in place by an anchoring system (see infographic below) The Brazilian Power Research Company (EPE) linked to the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) published a technical report in 2020 titled “Expansion of generation – floating photovoltaic solar” in which it calculated that floating platforms and anchors increase the cost of installing a solar farm by about 25% compared to ground-based systems When all of the factors involved are taken into account—including the cost of purchasing and preparing land for installation of ground-based plants—the EPE estimated that floating systems are 18% more expensive the EPE noted that floating systems can generate energy more efficiently The silicon cells in photovoltaic panels lose efficiency as temperatures increase the operating temperature is between 5% and 20% lower than when placed on land is disputed among international experts on the subject Experimental studies show different results ranging from no clear benefit to gains of more than 20% The most common estimates are gains of between 9% and 15% Freitas from COPPE believes that the initial investment cost is hindering the advance of FPV systems in Brazil “Floating solar farms have great potential but they are not particularly attractive to investors,” he says “Brazil has a lot of land available for ground-based photovoltaic plants an approach that is well-known and tested.” Another obstacle is that there are still no studies in Brazil on the impact FPV systems have on the aquatic environment and no licensing or authorization procedures have been established by the National Water Agency (ANA) for the use of water bodies to generate energy Global electricity production from FPV systems reached 2.6 gigawatt-peak (GWp) in 2020—a measurement that represents the maximum power generated at the production peak—according to the authors of the Renewable Energy article The technology is most widely used in Japan and South Korea due to the lack of land available for ground-based power plants which primarily uses floating systems on mine pit lakes there is greater investment in the system in arid and semiarid regions with the aim of reducing evaporation and increasing water security Portugal is another country where the approach is already being used Brazil has great potential for FPV systems due to the variety and number of water bodies in the country There are around 241,000 water bodies cataloged by the ANA The COPPE study encompassed 174,500 artificial water bodies including reservoirs at hydroelectric dams and others used for irrigation and human consumption using them would have less of an environmental impact The study proposed that installing solar panels on 1% of the surface of these artificial water bodies which would correspond to a total area of 45,500 square kilometers (km²) would generate 79,377 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity per year from nominal power of 43,276 megawatt-peak (MWp) That would represent about 12.5% of all electricity produced in Brazil The energy generated by FPV systems would be enough to supply around 41 million homes Alexandre Affonso / Revista Pesquisa FAPESPThe most suitable sites for floating solar farms are the reservoirs of hydroelectric power plants they alone account for 73% of the country’s total potential Freitas highlights that these dams offer an important competitive advantage for FPV projects based on potential synergies between hydroelectric and solar generation executive president of the Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association (ABSOLAR) says that there are many interesting characteristics of floating solar farms especially their potential for use in flooded areas and the fact that they reduce evaporation in reservoirs “This set of advantages is attracting the interest of investors Several are currently seeking out more information,” he says adequate regulations for FPV systems had been lacking but that changed when Law 14,300 came into effect in January 2022 The new legislation classified floating solar plants in the same category as micro- and mini-power generators (up to 5 MW) and granted them tax benefits designed to incentivize infrastructure development (the REIDI tax regime) Brazil’s solar energy generation capacity reached 22 gigawatts (GW) with large ground-based farms representing 7 GW and panels on roofs and small plots of land accounting for 15 GW “Solar power is the fastest-growing energy source in the country and floating photovoltaic farms have great potential to further expand the generation of renewable energy,” says Sauaia Brazil’s current floating photovoltaic plants are all experimental Brazilian electric utilities company Eletrobras produces 5 megawatts (MW) at the Balbina hydroelectric plant in Amazonas and 1 MW on the reservoir of the Sobradinho hydroelectric plant in Bahia The São Paulo Energy Company (CESP) produces 50 kilowatts (kW) at the Rosana plant in São Paulo Eletrobras-CHESFOne of Brazil’s experimental floating solar farms on a reservoir at the Sobradinho hydroelectric plant in BahiaEletrobras-CHESF the Neoenergia group and Pernambuco Sanitation Company (COMPESA) announced the construction of a floating photovoltaic plant on the reservoir of the Xaréu dam a 4,900 m2 area on the Fernando de Noronha archipelago in Pernambuco It is estimated that the system will be capable of generating 1,238 megawatt-hours (MWh) per year and will supply more than 40% of the island’s energy demand Switching from thermal generation to solar will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted annually in Fernando de Noronha by 1,600 tons Roughly R$10 million will be invested in the project © Revista Pesquisa FAPESP - All rights reserved. Projections point to increased risk of natural disasters such as floods, landslides and extreme drought in the coming decades Marcello Casal Jr /Agência Brasil Vicinity of the Sobradinho power plant Bahia: droughts are expected to affect other parts of the country in the coming decadesMarcello Casal Jr /Agência Brasil Two studies based on climate simulations conducted by Brazilian researchers indicate that the risk of occurrence of these three types of disaster will increase by the end of this century in most of the areas already affected by these phenomena The researchers also point out that new parts of Brazil generally adjacent to regions currently affected by such occurrences are likely to become areas of significant risk for these same problems “The impacts tend to be greater in the future due to climate change the growth of city boundaries and populations and occupation of more high-risk areas,” says José A head of the Division of Integrated Research and Development Products at the Natural Disaster Surveillance & Early Warning Center (CEMADEN) Some of the results of these projections have been circulated at conferences and in reports such as the federal document sent in April 2016 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) The report serves as a tool to provide guidelines for the strategies presented in the recently created National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change But more-detailed data from the simulations will appear in a scientific paper accepted for publication in the journal Natural Hazards as well as in papers submitted to other publications Arnaldo Alves / ANPr Flood of 2014 in União da Vitória (Santa Catarina): South expected to see more floodsArnaldo Alves / ANPr To generate the projections of future disaster risk the researchers used two global climate models created by the Japanese Meteorological Center they ran the regional-scale Eta model developed by Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) the authors were able to evaluate the predominant future climate patterns associated with the occurrence of natural disasters in areas measuring at least 400 square kilometers—each square having 20-kilometer sides More convergences than divergences The results provided by the two climate models are similar for about 80% of the Brazilian territory—a finding that lends weight to the projections The English model has been used for more than 10 years in simulations conducted by Brazilian climatologists who have gained considerable experience with it The Japanese model is now entering into more frequent use a few divergences in the long-term simulations generated by the two models the list of the 100 municipalities most vulnerable to drought episodes in the next three decades provided by the HadGEM2 ES simulations differs from the one generated by Miroc5 are in four states in the Northeast: Rio Grande do Norte The English model names cities that are mostly in other northeastern states and in the Central-West region and northern Minas Gerais State “With the exception of these extreme examples the projections generated by the two models largely coincide,” says Camarinha the most significant discrepancy relates to rainfall patterns in Amazonia especially in the western states of the North (Acre HadGEM2 ES projects more rainfall—and thus a higher risk of floods and landslides—while Miroc5 predicts less “Predicting rainfall in Amazonia is still a challenge for the models,” Marengo comments In order to quantify the future risk of natural disasters in an area the simulations need to include not just climate information social and environmental conditions of the more than 5,500 Brazilian municipalities and their people each area is classified into one of five vulnerability levels: very low the quality of the data from each city and the weight given to each variable all affect the final index,” explains Camarinha The weight of humans In addition to natural susceptibility to droughts human activity holds considerable weight in turning what could be a minor problem into a catastrophe The researchers estimate that one-third of the impact of landslides and half of flood damage could be avoided by altering human practices related to land occupation and improvements in the socioeconomic conditions of the population in areas at risk Substandard housing in ill-suited locations near hillsides or flood-prone areas; poor infrastructure such as roads or paths that hinder easy access to highly vulnerable areas; lack of a functioning civil defense; overcrowded impermeable cities that do not channel away rainwater—all of these unnatural factors related to human culture can influence the final outcome of a risk situation and the level of solidarity and social cohesion of a population can at least mitigate the impacts of a disaster,” notes geographer Lucí Hidalgo Nunes of the Geosciences Institute at the University of Campinas (IG-Unicamp) there are natural disasters so violent—such as the major earthquakes in Japan—that not even an extremely well-prepared population can avoid them But recovery in better-organized countries is much faster.” an end-of-century global scenario that is relatively pessimistic but quite plausible It is used in the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) This scenario is characterized by large temperature increases the projections indicate that the country is likely to be at least 3ºC warmer by the end of the century and that rainfall amounts could increase as much as 30% in the South-Southeast and decrease up to 40% in the North-Northeast Climate change is expected to cause greater frequency of extreme events which could be manifested in different ways: prolonged droughts These occurrences increase the risk of disasters it’s not just a question of the amount of rain that falls in a particular place,” Marengo explains but the distribution of the rain over time changes and this can create more disasters.” In a city like São Paulo a 50-millimeter rainfall over three or four days would likely not cause damage But if the rainfall is concentrated into just one afternoon Marlene Bergamo / Folhapress Landslide in Nova Friburgo (Rio de Janeiro) in 2011: high vulnerability to disastersMarlene Bergamo / Folhapress Recurring tragedies Man’s interest in natural catastrophes was aroused well before the present-day discussions about climate change Disasters have been a tragic chapter in the history of humankind from time immemorial cited as divine punishment and said to have ended life on Earth except for the people and animals aboard Noah’s Ark catastrophic floods before and after the publication of Genesis appear in accounts from several cultures throughout the ages from the ancient Mesopotamians and Greeks to the Maya of Central America and the Vikings The ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried under lava that spewed from Mount Vesuvius in the famous eruption of 79 AD that same Campania region in Italy had been hit by a minor-magnitude earthquake if a disaster has occurred in a particular place Project Assessment of impacts and vulnerability to climate change in Brazil and strategies for adaptation option (nº 2008/58161-1); Grant Mechanism Research Grant – Research Program on Global Climate Change – Thematic (FAPESP/CNPq – Pronex Agreement); Principal Investigator José A Marengo (CEMADEN); Investment R$812,135.64 Scientific articles DEBORTOLI, N. S et al. An index of Brazil’s vulnerability to expected increases in natural flash flooding and landslide disasters in the context of climate change. Natural Hazards. In production. ALMEIDA, L. Q. et al. Disaster risk indicators in Brazil: A proposal based on the world risk index International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction London BFI Flare Glasgow Edinburgh Cannes Venice Berlin Sundance SXSW TIFF Tribeca New York Aly Muritiba’s Private Desert is not just an intimate urgent film of incredible importance to both Brazilian and international societies Private Desert (Deserto Particular) doesn’t drop its title card or opening credits until 30 minutes in, an ever more frequent choice that modern films are making. Just like in 2021’s Drive My Car where the title displays after an extended prologue and as the infamous red Saab is finally driven Private Desert spends its opening half an hour with one of its main characters only dropping the title when he leaves the city of Curitiba for the small town of Sobradinho This patient tactic works wonders for the character Director and co-writer Aly Muritiba continually infuses Private Desert with this reserved but potent emotional angle resulting in an exquisite and remarkably sensual journey of self-discovery and freedom Daniel (Antonio Saboia, Bacurau) is a tightly wound man with a severe masculine edge which has been built by the influence of his family’s police and military background There are signs of tenderness – he cares dutifully for his father who is ailing both physically and mentally in old age – but his bulky balled-up frame and recent suspension from duty for a violent incident highlight a very clear machismo rage After his internet girlfriend Sara (Pedro Fasanaro) stops replying to him Daniel’s search for Sara morphs into a beautiful journey of self-acceptance; unbeknownst to Daniel Sara is in fact a genderfluid person who also lives as their male birth identity Robson Early homophobia from Daniel towards his sister is undercut with the possibility of this stemming from his own sexuality issues Throughout both Daniel and Robson / Sara’s intertwining journey Muritiba and co-writer Henrique dos Santos treat their characters with real compassion bolstering their relationships and the themes of Private Desert with a detailed and complex screenplay The impressive script is further enhanced by Luis Armando Ateaga’s (Tremors) cinematography which captures the lush world of Sobradinho and enriches the most intimate moments of Private Desert Daniel is consistently captured on his own in earlier scenes shrouded either by cold walls or an empty city at night; as he moves towards Sobradinho Whilst his journey is rightfully never simplified and bigotry still resides openly in Sobradinho despite there being an expressive LGBTQIA+ community imbuing Private Desert with a tangible hopefulness Lips seductively dancing with one another closely before falling into a passionate kiss are captured in silhouettes only heightening the intense sensuality simmering within and between the characters At a time when LGBTQIA+ rights are either in jeopardy or non-existent Private Desert is as timely as any film can be Its messages of acceptance and for people to have the freedom to be who they are obvious but crucial to highlight in the face of discrimination Muritiba and dos Santos’ screenplay impressively brings this bigotry to the fore whilst still finding cause for celebration in its gorgeous central romance Daniel’s face lights up when he sees Sara – and eventually Robson too – with an unabashed smile stretching across his face with these moments of happiness given special importance when contrasted with his usual gruff persona physically and mentally transforming from a tightly wound man into someone who can sense real self-liberty whilst Fasanaro expertly moves between the freedom of their character’s gender fluidity and their increasing depression at the constant discrimination they face Daniel is given slightly more characterisation than Robson / Sara with their backstory slightly lacking in detail but the two actors brilliantly paint a relationship that is built on love but informed by societal bigotry with their sexual interactions boasting an indelible lustfulness With its haunting but beautiful original score by Felipe Ayres and vivid Private Desert is a swooning cinematic odyssey of love one which shines a thoughtful spotlight on the queer community in Brazil Its pared back style occasionally loosens its narrative thrust but Private Desert remains structurally sound It sings with a crystal-clear voice of humanity simultaneously calling for serious change and finding cause for celebration no two the same; Private Desert sees this complexity and artfully lays it out with its central passion becoming less and less obscured as the film progresses Private Desert is now available to watch on digital and on demand 2025 Open City Documentary Festival: 10 Movies to Watch The Uninvited Movie Review: Hollywood Meh-hem Happy Gilmore Review: Problematic Fun Man Goes On Rant Review: Chaos & Clarity 5 Cyber Thrillers Where a Virus Causes Chaos Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted: Review  Lavender Men Review: Uneven But Wildly Potent Electra Film Review: Luxurious Lies Nossos serviços estão apresentando instabilidade no momento Algumas informações podem não estar disponíveis 2018 09h00 AM | Last Updated: November 27 at the highest spot of the National Park of Canastra São Francisco River traverses 2,700 kilometers and brings water and life to the semi-arid region Along that path it also crosses the states of Bahia in a total 507 municipalities and strategically lionking the Southeast and Northeast Regions of Brazil those waters have been the possibility of making a living for a number of fishermen and boatmen agriculture and livestock make great strides in development Vegetation and the ore extracted from the soil also foster local economy there are electricity plants - Três Marias Itaparica and Xingó - which supply the whole Northeast Region and part of the state of Minas Gerais The very many possible ways of using the natural resources which characterize the São Francisco River Basin undoubtedly generate riches but also cause environmental problems to the same extent water scarcity and damages to fishing and navigation are some of the consequences of the uncontrolled and little sustainable use of those resources Climate drawbacks damage life in the river The São Francisco river basin has one of the lowest precipitation levels in the country a problem that has grown worse and has caused great damage in the last few years Data from the National Meteorology Institute (Inmet) show that the annual distribution of rain in the Northeast Region decreased significantly between 1990 and 2017 since the middle of the 1990's the flow of São Francisco has been below the average in history That causes trouble in the generation of electricity - as in Sobradinho which accounts for 58% of the electricity used in that region Although the dams built on the São Francisco are the bases for the generation of clear energy (without the emission of polluting gases) those constructions changed the natural course of rivers and the dynamics of life in them president of the Comittee for the São Francisco River Basin (CBHSF) data from the National Center for Research and Conservation of Continental Water Biodiversity (CEPTA) show that eight species living in the river are endangered because of the same problem Environmental problems are also seen anywhere around the São Francisco and of parts of the Cerrado and forest is one of the most damaging human actions to water courses According to the Water Resources Plan for the São Francisco ~River Basin 2016-2025 about 47% of the total area of the bay has been affected by deforestation aimed at the production of charcoal and the opening of areas for agriculture and livestock One of the negative consequences of vegetation removal is the impermeabilization of the soil: as its capacity of absorbing moisture is reduced the recharge of underground aquifers is also damaged Another consequence is the expansion of soil erosion as sediments - often contaminated by pesticides - area carried into the rivers The disposal of untreated sewage and the waste from gold panning are also sources of pollution in the river The effects of degradation are more strongly felt in the Low São Francisco located on the border of Sergipe and Alagoas where the Old Chico encounters the salty waters of the Atlantic Ocean That has been a disadvantage for the river With a reuced flow the river does not have the strength to stop ocean water and that has led to changes in the ecosystem at the mouth of the river Our staff visited the location and talks about that in the video below More on the São Francisco River can be found in Retratos no.13.  © 2018 IBGE - Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística Nós utilizamos cookies para melhorar sua experiência de navegação no portal. Para saber mais sobre como tratamos os dados pessoais, consulte nossa Política de Privacidade. A GREAT-great-granny has added to her collection of tattoos in her bid for the world record for the oldest woman to get inked - at 105. Epifania Maria de Jesus Mendes, of Sobradinho, Brazil, got her first tat at the tender age of 98 - and has vowed “I’m not going to stop. Last week she got a golden key inked on her arm, along with the phrase 'So o amor constroi' ('Only love builds'), to celebrate her latest birthday. And she is now seeking another belated present - to get her name in the Guinness World Records for the oldest woman to get a tattoo. With her latest inking, Granny Pifa now boasts four tats, which include a hummingbird drinking nectar on one thigh and a red rose on the other. All four designs were inked by her trusted tattooist And Granny Pifa says she has no plans to stop She went on to have an astonishing 18 children her great-grandchildren and her great-great-grandchildren she boasts a family of more than 100 people He said: "The tattoo idea first came on her 90th birthday but she got others at the age of 98 and 101." who is from the south-eastern Brazilian state of Espirito Santo said the family tried to talk her out of getting more tattoos She swore at me and said she had 18 children and it wouldn't be a problem." Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/ Tombador Iron (ASX:TI1) has signed a deal to purchase the Colomi Iron Project in Brazil after which it intends to rebrand as ‘Colomi Metals’ under the new ticker CM1 Tombador will acquire all of the shares in Colomi Iron Mineracao SA (CIM) which owns the Colomi Project in Brazil’s Bahia state for US$3 million ($4.47 million) in cash and $5.5 million in shares The company will also issue 10 million Class A and 10 million Class B performance rights to CIM as well as a royalty on the sale of iron ore concentrate from Colomi Located 520km north-west of the state capital Salvador the project consists of 14 exploration licences totalling 22,745 hectares across the municipalities of Casa Nova Split into two sub-projects by the Sobradinho Lake Colomi North consists of the Colomis North CIM — in conjunction with Vale SA — explored all of the 11 exploration licences that contain the iron ore deposits at Colomi This included topographic and aeromagnetic surveys A resource estimate for the Colomi Project was published in 2011 and updated in April this year It currently stands at 5.5 billion tonnes grading 26.6% iron the project sits adjacent to the company’s previously-held Tombador Iron Project leaving Tombador without a significant asset the purchase of the Colomi Project would constitute a change in the “nature and scale” of its activities.  Tombador is therefore required to seek shareholder approval for the change the company will be precluded from proceeding with the acquisition “The project has the potential to be developed into a world class producer of premium-grade blast furnace concentrate and premium direct reduced iron-grade concentrate products with low carbon density,” Tombador Chair Anna Neuling says “would assist with the de-carbonisation of the global iron and steel industry and could provide an input for greener steel” Tombador is also seeking to raise up to $7 million by issuing 35 million new shares at $0.20 each Write to Oliver Gray at Mining.com.au Unico Silver makes ‘multiple new discoveries’ at Cerro Leon Unico Silver (ASX:USL) says the final results from phase-two diamond drilling at.. Dateline Resources pursues OTCQB listing in US North Bay advances gold production optimisation  Gilded market: Has jewellery demand lost lustre? ASX ends winning streak as energy sector... Critica readies to drill satellite rare earths... Metro on track to hit 2025 bauxite... ASX shifts down a gear Stay Informed on up-to-the-minute mining news Get the best articles straight to your inbox ASX ends winning streak as energy sector tumbles05 May, 2025 Military Metals discusses antimony exploration in Slovakia05 May, 2025 Unico Silver makes ‘multiple new discoveries’ at Cerro Leon05 May, 2025 Critica readies to drill satellite rare earths targets    05 May, 2025 Where the Rio São Francisco flows into the Atlantic, the coast of Brazil disappears. Local residents blame huge dams. About a case that could put hydropower under pressure worldwide. This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center. The village of Saramém could hardly be more remote: a small collection of huts, vegetable gardens and fishing boats in Brazil's north-east. White speckled guinea fowl cluck among them and domestic cats roam around. Nevertheless, the future of a gigantic industry, hydropower, could be decided here. Sitting in one of the huts, Ademilson Victor Gomes says: "After the dams blocked the river, the sea began to encroach." Gomes has not always lived here, five kilometers from the mouth of the Rio São Francisco. He used to live in the village of Cabeço at the head of the delta. In Brazil, the river is often called Velho Chico, Old Francis. After thousands of kilometers, it flows into the Atlantic here. In the delta, the river opens up and becomes kilometers wide. And people like Gomes appreciate its abundance of fish. The Velho Chico seems unstoppable, indomitable and unchangeable, yet it is losing its shape. The ocean is eating away at the delta and the São Francisco is retreating. Since 1984, an amount of land larger than eight square kilometers has fallen to the water, as a data research by the SZ shows. As he remembers the end of his homeland, the otherwise calm Gomes becomes animated, his voice loud: "The river began to weaken. The sea came and came and came! Closer and closer! The place disappeared. The sea sank Cabeço! It left nothing for anyone." The riverbank at his new place of residence is already crumbling. The dams, which Gomes has never seen, are to blame. They had held back sediments so that Cabeço eroded along with Gomes' life. Satellite images show how much the land has retreated since 1984. Gomes and other residents of the former village are therefore taking legal action against the dam operator. If the courts decide that hydropower is indeed to blame, it could shake the industry. To find out whether this is the case, you have to travel six hundred kilometers inland from the delta: A huge structure rises out of the barren expanse of the Sertão, a hot savannah interspersed with thorny plants. Es ist der Steinschüttdamm Sobradinho, sechs Kilometer lang, 41 Meter hoch und mit Geröll bedeckt.  On the upstream side, endless masses of water wind around entire mountains and disappear behind the horizon. The federal state of Berlin could easily be submerged four times in the Sobradinho reservoir. Man has created a sea in the middle of the desert. And with it a problem: sedimentation. Instead of being washed into the delta, mud, sand and debris end up in the Sobradinho and in the cascade of subsequent dams - Paulo Afonso, Luiz Gonzaga and Xingó. So do these dams have an expiry date, because at some point they will be full of mud and sand instead of water? And are they the reason why entire villages are disappearing in the river delta? The answers to these questions lie at the bottom of the Sobradinho. On its surface, conditions sometimes resemble those in the high seas. "It's difficult to navigate in the center of the lake," says Alfredo Ribeiro Neto, an expert in water resources at the Federal University of Pernambuco. "The wind is very strong and the boat we used to take the measurements was therefore not stable. Yet it was the largest in the region." Neto and a colleague surveyed the bottom of Lake Sobradinho in 2009. To do this, they cruised across the water for days, constantly listening for the echo of the sound waves that they transmitted from their boat using a special device. At the bottom, these reflected back towards the surface. The longer the signals took to return, the deeper the seabed. The researchers were able to create an underwater height profile from the time difference. This is called bathymetry. The scientists compared the data obtained with old but inaccurate elevation data before the former shore areas were flooded. Their result: 3.33 cubic kilometers of the lake had already silted up with sediment. That corresponds to the volume of Munich's Allianz Arena - times a thousand. Since the study, five hundred more Bavarian stadiums must have ended up at the bottom of the Sobradinho. There is a tendency for even more, as the massive expansion of monoculture agriculture in Brazil's interior compared to 2009 means that significantly more sediment enters the Velho Chico today than at the time of Neto's study. In fact, operators in Brazil have had to measure the accumulation of sediment in their lakes since 2010. The results must be publicly available - Eletrobras should therefore be able to provide information. But spokespeople refer sometimes to internal, sometimes to external bodies, dozens of emails and countless phone calls are not answered. Behind closed doors, an external consultant from Eletrobras explains that the company will never disclose the lifespan of its lakes due to the ongoing privatization process: This is because the lifetime of the lakes defines the lifetime of the hydropower plants and thus the market value of the company. In short, if too much sand falls to the bottom of the reservoirs, Eletrobras' share price will also fall. In an office of the national electricity agency in the capital Brasilía, advice is finally available. Oswaldo Acosta is a specialist in energy services and was able to view bathymetries from Eletrobras - not historical ones, but fairly recent ones that the company had to create thanks to new legislation. "In some cases, we have already been able to identify that the amount of sediment is extremely high," says Acosta. However, Acosta still needs more measurements to derive trends for sedimentation. Old bathymetries do not exist or, like Neto's, are ignored for apparently methodological reasons. Acosta and his small team are therefore unable to say how drastically the space in Brazil's lakes is shrinking. Acosta has also carried out research on the Velho Chico delta. "A colleague identified sediment movements using radioactive tracers. In a joint study, he showed that these are deposited in the São Francisco reservoirs in particular." That was in 2008, and there were regular follow-up studies. This did nothing to change the management of the reservoirs or the advance of the sea in the delta. Gomes' son Benito loads into his wooden boat. His mother Valdeci is also there. The senior citizen helps push the boat. After a bit of driving, she sets down on the last sandbank of the delta, between tree skeletons that have withered in the salt water and sun. The view from afar is enough for her. On the open sea, it juts out of the ocean at an angle: the lighthouse. Three meters below the boat now lie the remains of Cabeço's green palm trees, the church and dozens of houses. Benito skillfully manoeuvres around the lighthouse, which has now been eaten away by rust and lies in the middle of the sea. Negotiations have been going on since 2002. But it was not until 2017 that a commission of experts presented a report of more than 1,500 pages. Two verdicts in the tripartite proceedings were handed down in Cabeço's favor at the lowest level in 2022. "The judge recognized what the experts recognized: The causal link between the dams and the reduction in sediment flow to the estuary," says Filho. And thus the downfall of Cabeço. Around 20 million euros in damages have been awarded to the plaintiff residents of Cabeço, but the amount can still change in all directions. This is because the verdicts so far mean nothing. "Cases of this importance and complexity end up in the Supreme Court," says Filho. Gomes and Valdeci may never know the final verdict. Eletrobras' subcontractor does not want to comment on the events, citing the ongoing proceedings. "What is happening here is an important precedent," says Filho. With more than 110 gigawatts and myriad reservoirs, Brazil is the world's second-largest hydropower producer after China. A ruling could have repercussions not only domestically, but also in international jurisdiction: Will operators have to pay for damage that builds up over decades? The answer to this question will probably not help Gomes. "Cabeço," he sighs, "was a good place." Where the Rio São Francisco flows into the Atlantic About a case that could put hydropower under pressure worldwide And people like Gomes appreciate its abundance of fish endless masses of water wind around entire mountains and disappear behind the horizon Their result: 3.33 cubic kilometers of the lake had already silted up with sediment That corresponds to the volume of Munich's Allianz Arena - times a thousand This is because the lifetime of the lakes defines the lifetime of the hydropower plants and thus the market value of the company if too much sand falls to the bottom of the reservoirs she sets down on the last sandbank of the delta between tree skeletons that have withered in the salt water and sun it juts out of the ocean at an angle: the lighthouse Three meters below the boat now lie the remains of Cabeço's green palm trees Benito skillfully manoeuvres around the lighthouse which has now been eaten away by rust and lies in the middle of the sea.