Posted on October 30, 2024
Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. has said it would release new Bravo buoy units to collect, monitor, and assess offshore wind resources. The company said in a media release it is investing BRL 60 million ($10.5 million) into the new sea wind testing and measuring phase.
The Bravo units have been designed for the Brazilian sea. It is a domestically developed LiDAR system. This optical sensor uses laser beams to measure wind speed and direction, and other critical environmental factors like atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, wave height, and current direction. This comprehensive data is essential for assessing the potential of wind energy sites. Weighing in at seven tons, Bravo features an energy system powered by photovoltaic solar energy modules, Petrobras said.
Petrobras said the first five new units will start operating in December, while the others will be deployed in late 2025, resuming the projects that began with the pioneering Bravo unit, which has just completed one year of nonstop wind measuring operations in the Areia Branca Sea on the coast of Rio Grande do Norte.
“It’s another vital step in our energy transition journey. This project phase is necessary to validate the technology and prompt Brazil’s biggest offshore wind mapping campaign, which is vital to assess the technical feasibility of future offshore wind energy facilities”, Maurício Tolmasquim, Petrobras’s Energy Transition and Sustainability Director, said.
“This year, the equipment has recorded nonstop measurements, without intercurrences, which represents an important scientific milestone for the Brazilian offshore wind energy since the analyses consider a complete climatic period, including months of the year with the more intense wind”, Antonio Medeiros, SENAI Institute of Renewable Energy Innovation (ISI-ER) Research & Development Coordinator, added.
Petrobras invested BRL 11.3 million ($1.9 million) in the first Bravo version through the Research and Technological Development Program for the Electric Power Sector regulated by the National Electric Power Agency. Phase two of measurements will receive funds allotted to the research, development, and innovation (RDI) activities of the National Oil, Natural Gas, and Biofuel Agency (ANP).
“This project is a great example of Petrobras’s RDI strategy that supports and strengthens our fair energy transition leadership. Through partnerships with prominent national institutions, we drive the technological development of renewable energies, particularly this research, with innovations in offshore wind energy”, Renata Baruzzi, Petrobras’ Engineering, Technology, and Innovation Director, said.
