Rural electrification for isolated consumers: Sustainable management model based on residue biomass

This paper presents a case study of the electrification of a riparian community in the State of Para Brazil, within the scope of the Program for Electric Power Service Universalization in Brazil. The community is located in a remote area: approximately 100 km from the municipal district, there is no regular transport to access the community, and adequate communication service. The community is provided with electrification facilities through a small biomass-based power plant, directly firing residues produced by the local economic activity. The objective of the paper is to propose a sustainable management model that is suitable for community's isolation conditions, considering the high costs with operation and maintenance related to the supply of isolated consumers in small locations. A simulation is conducted for the operation of the small biomass-based power plant, the generation costs are determined, the legal aspects are analyzed, and a suggestion for the management model is presented. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.