INESC Porto develops “Berlenga – Laboratory of Sustainability” project

INESC Porto develops “Berlenga – Laboratory of Sustainability” project

INESC Porto has recently started the participation in the “Berlenga – Laboratory of Sustainability” project, which intends to fight the menaces associated with the presence of Man in the Berlenga Island, near Peniche.

23rd July 2007

This island, part of the archipelago of Berlengas, is the only one with permanent human occupation. This project will try to minimize the menaces generated by this occupation, acting at the level of energy, waste management, water supply and treatment as well as sanitation.

The main objectives of this project are to gift the island with energy generation and storing capacities from renewable sources as well as with potable water generation and wastewater and solid waste treatment. This will be managed in an integrated way and Berlenga will work as a real “Laboratory of Sustainability”.
USE will lead the job that corresponds to Systems Integration. Its collaboration will fall upon the conception of the electrical system to install in the Berlenga Island considering the most appropriate generation options that can be both good performers and cost-effective.

The Unit will also intervene when it comes to the development of a base-platform for the simulation of the operation of the electricity system to be implemented in the island. It will also work on a control scheme which is adequate to the electricity system and that enables an efficient control of frequency and voltage thus maximizing the utilization of the renewable resources available.

Finally, USE’s collaboration will also involve the validation and tuning of the system developed through tests in real environment.
INESC Porto’s people involved in the project are André Madureira and João Peças Lopes (coordinator). This project is expected to last 18 months (until the end of 2008).

Besides INESC Porto, the companies and institutions involved in this project are the Centro Para Prevenção da Poluição – C3P (representing NASA and ITB); Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade – ISQ; Energias de Portugal – EDP; Câmara Municipal de Peniche; Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e da Biodiversidade – ICNB; INETI, EFACEC; Águas de Portugal – AdP; Direcção de Faróis – Marinha; and GALP Energia.

INESC Porto Bulletin of July 2007