Photongaya (Geopower) to Our Atlantic Esmeralda

Abstract

Fernando de Noronha archipelago is the biggest oceanic island of Brazil, located about 360km off the northeast coast. With 3 thousand inhabitants and 1.9 MWe of running capacity, it has received the nickname of ‘Esmeralda do Atlântico’ (Atlantic Esmeralda) because of its beauty. The electricity is generated by a diesel plant and a small wind turbine. Tourism and fishing are the principal economic activity, so there is concern about sustainability to preserve this fragile ecosystem.
Originating from igneous activity that lasted until 1.7 Ma ago, it has no superficial hydrothermal manifestation, neither is it known from the geological record, but the islands are above sea level today because of its internal heat. Even with little geothermic data, its geology points to the possibility of implementation of EGS to supply the electricity needs of the island. Enhanced or Engineering Geothermal Systems allow electricity generation in non-volcanic areas like Australia, France and Switzerland, harvesting the huge potential of crustal heat. Binary plants could operate at temperatures as low as 100oC. Keeping in mind these technical advances, a new assessment of Brazil’s geothermal potential must be performed, since the last national survey was published 20 years ago, when said techniques were only in their initial development.