Petrobras to invest R$60 million in second phase of Boia BRAVO

By Petrobras

October 24, 2024

This is a machine translation of the press release originally published in Portuguese.

Petrobras will invest R$60 million in a new phase of offshore wind testing and measurements, with the launch of new Bravo buoy units for collecting, monitoring and evaluating offshore wind resources. The technology, designed for the Brazilian sea conditions, is the result of a successful R&D project by Petrobras’ Research, Development and Innovation Center (Cenpes) in partnership with the SENAI Institute for Innovation in Renewable Energy (ISI-ER) and the SENAI Institute for Innovation in Embedded Systems (ISI-SE). The first of these five new units will begin operating in December and the others by the end of 2025, continuing the project started with the pioneering Bravo unit, which has just completed one year of uninterrupted wind measurement operations in the Areia Branca sea, off the coast of Rio Grande do Norte.

“This is another important step in our energy transition journey. This phase of the project is necessary for validating the technology and will result in the largest offshore wind mapping campaign in Brazil, which is essential for assessing the technical feasibility of future offshore wind energy installations,” highlights Petrobras’ Director of Energy Transition and Sustainability, Maurício Tolmasquim.

“This year, the equipment has recorded uninterrupted measurements without incidents, which represents an important scientific milestone for offshore wind energy in Brazil, as the analyses consider a complete climate period, including months of the year with more intense winds,” says ISI-ER Research & Development coordinator, Antonio Medeiros.

Petrobras invested R$11.3 million in the first version of BRAVO, through the Electric Energy Sector Research and Technological Development Program, regulated by the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL). The second phase of measurements will receive resources earmarked for R&D from the National Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANP).

“This project is a great example of Petrobras’ R&D&I strategy that supports and strengthens our leadership in the fair energy transition. Through partnerships with important national institutions, we drive technological development in renewable energies, particularly in this research, with innovations in offshore wind energy,” says Petrobras’ Director of Engineering, Technology and Innovation, Renata Baruzzi.

Petrobras is the company with the greatest potential in offshore wind generation projects in studies in the country in terms of capacity registered with Ibama and invests in research and development to make innovative offshore wind projects viable.

Technology

Bravo is a floating Lidar ( Light Detection and Ranging ) model, developed for the first time with national technology. It is an optical sensor that uses laser beams to measure wind speed and direction, generating data compatible with the operating environment of wind turbines. It is also capable of capturing meteorological variables, such as atmospheric pressure, air temperature and relative humidity, as well as oceanographic variables, such as waves and ocean currents. All of this data is essential for determining the potential of an area for wind energy production. The equipment weighs 7 tons, is 4 meters in diameter, 4 meters high and has a power system powered by photovoltaic solar energy modules.