Mitigation of the Effects of Climate Change from the Gradual Replacement of Coal Thermal Power Stations by Photovoltaic Plants

Abstract This paper focuses on reducing the emission of greenhouse gases and the volume of water captured in the energy generation process in thermoelectric plants thar use mineral coal and intensify the water crisis in regions of the Brazilian semiarid. The study was made in the largest coal-fired power plant in Brazil, Energia Pecém, located in Porto do Pecém, in the state of Ceará, taking unit Pecém II. Is is proposed to shut down this unit for seven hours a day from the operation of a large photovoltaic plant installed in áreas classified as desert in the state, specifically in the municipality of Irauçuba, with the same generation as that thermoelectric plant. For this, a preliminar project of a photovoltaic plant was made, whose technical, economic and environmental feasibility was assessed. Thus, it is estimated a drop in carbono dioxide emission of around 34,720.56 tons per month and in water abstraction a reduction of 9.67% of its monthly volume.