en.Wedoany.com Reported - Axia Energia has launched a series of energy transition technology projects in northeastern Brazil. The innovation center spans the cities of Petrolina (Pernambuco state), Casa Nova, and Sobradinho (Bahia state), integrating a concentrated solar power (CSP) plant, battery energy storage systems, wind-solar hybrid power generation projects, and a floating photovoltaic project equipped with a data center.
Axia Energia is one of Brazil's largest power companies, formerly the state-owned Eletrobras, which was privatized in 2022. It holds generation and transmission assets, with its investment portfolio primarily focused on renewable energy. The main project of the complex is the tower-type solar thermal power plant (HCPV) located at the Renewable Energy Reference Center (CRESP) in Petrolina. This plant combines heliostats, high-efficiency photovoltaic modules, and a thermal storage system, enabling simultaneous generation of electricity and heat from solar radiation. The system has a power generation capacity of 1 MW and captures an additional 2.2 MW of thermal energy, supporting research into long-duration energy storage and industrial applications.
The company stated that the project will serve as a testing platform to validate solutions integrating renewable energy generation, energy storage, and digital infrastructure, including applications for data center operations and industrial cooling systems. As of 2026, the initiative has received over R$74 million in investments, of which R$67.9 million came from the Research, Development, and Innovation (R&D) program of the Brazilian National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel).
In Casa Nova, northern Bahia, the company also inaugurated the Casa Nova Smart Hybrid Power Station, which integrates wind power, photovoltaic power generation, lithium-ion battery energy storage, and a data center. The project incorporates a 1 MW solar plant, a 1.5 MW wind turbine, a BESS system with a power rating of 1 MW and a capacity of 1.4 MWh, and a 1 MW data center. As of 2026, the project is expected to invest R$85 million, also funded by Aneel's R&D program.
According to Juliano Dantas, Director of Technology and Innovation at Axia, the facility will support research into renewable energy integration, energy storage, power quality, and new operational models for the industry. He stated that the complex makes it one of the largest open-air renewable energy research facilities in the world.
Another project of the innovation center is located in the reservoir of the Sobradinho hydroelectric plant in Bahia. The floating photovoltaic pilot plant has an installed capacity of 0.8 MW peak, with an expected average annual power generation of 1.3 GWh. The system integrates IoT sensors for continuous monitoring of operational performance and is connected to the medium-voltage distribution grid, thereby assessing the integration of emerging technologies under real operating conditions.
The company believes that these projects will serve as a foundation for developing and validating related technologies, aimed at enhancing power system flexibility, expanding energy storage capacity, and integrating renewable energy with digital infrastructure—topics considered strategic in the evolution of Brazil's energy mix.
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