Curitiba More Energy

Status
ongoing
50%
City

Curitiba

Main actors

City Government, Supranational / Intergovernmental Institutions

Project area

Whole City/Administrative Region

Duration

Ongoing since 2019

Investing in solar energy to build a sustainable future for the city.

Curitiba will lead the way for a clean energy revolution in Brazil by solarizing rooftops of buildings and bus terminals owned by the municipality. With support from C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF), the City is developing a business case for solar photovoltaic (PV) projects on the city’s rooftops.

The C40 CFF support will include technical feasibility studies for the installation of rooftop solar panels on the Pinheirinho, Boqueirão and Santa Cândida bus terminals, the Interstate Bus and Railroad Station, the deactivated Caximba Landfill, and the development of public private partnership models.

Sustainable Development Goals

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for allBuild resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovationMake cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainableTake urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
City
Curitiba, Brazil
Size and population development
Curitiba is the largest city in the state of Paraná and the southern region of Brazil. According to the 2010 IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) census, the city’s population was 1,678,965 making it the 8th most populous city in Brazil. The city covers a total area of 319.4 km2, with a population density of 4,062 per km2. The metropolitan area expands out to 15,416.9km2 with a population of 3,400,000. The 2019 population is estimated at 1,900,000.
Population composition
The 2010 census date recorded the population of Curitiba was 52.3% female and 47.7% male. Ethnicity composition recorded was 78.9% white people, 16.8% Pardo(multiracial) people, 2.9% Afro-Brazilian people, 1.4% Asian people and 0.2%, Amerindian people. The official language of Curitiba is Portuguese.
Main functions
Curitiba, the capital city of the state of Paraná, is an important cultural, political and economic centre in Latin America. The city is located on a plateau at 932 metres above sea level near the Atlantic margin of the Brazilian Highlands and headwater of the Iguacu River. From the early 1970s Curitiba underwent extensive rejuvenation, which included the creation of new lakes and flood-control systems, large parks, and other recreational facilities. The City also introduced recycling programs, zoning regulations, and a bus rapid transit (BRT) system. In 2010, Curitiba was awarded the Global Sustainable City Award, given to cities and municipalities that excel in sustainable urban development. Today, Curitiba is known as one the world’s greenest cities with more the 50 square metres of green space for every person.
Main industries / business
Curitiba's economy is based on industry and services and is the fourth largest in Brazil. The city manufactures automobiles, trucks, and buses, paper, furniture, textiles, cement, and tobacco. Curitiba is also an important processing centre for mate (tea), beer, soft drinks, lumber, and cattle. Curitiba is a culturally rich city with a large number of venues, events and artists in areas including music, gastronomy, theatre and design. The local creative industries support the tourism industry, generate innovation clusters and promote sustainable growth.
Sources for city budget
Political structure
The municipality of Curitiba is governed by a mayor (prefeito) with the assistance of secretaries who head administrative departments. The city comprises 1 Municipality (Prefeitura), 9 Sub-prefectures (subprefeituras) and 75 districts. The Curitiba Metropolitan area comprises 26 Municipalities.
Administrative structure
The City Council has 38 councillors.
Website
https://www.curitiba.pr.gov.br

Curitiba's Masterplan guides all future actions pertaining to the development and adaptation of the urban environment and consolidates associated public policies, principles, directives and objectives that shall be implemented in the city.

The Masterplan sets out environmental guidelines including the provision of incentives for the generation and utilization of clean energy, obtained from non-pollutant and sustainable sources. The plan includes micro and mini generation distribution through public-private partnerships and other methods.

Additionally, the City of Curitiba has an established Government Plan, which is divided into thematic axes. The sustainability axis includes the Viva Curitiba Tecnológica program. The goals of this program are to:

  • Develop and implement innovative solutions using technology.
  • Reuse of existing resources.
  • Share responsibilities amongst citizens, the public sector, and the private sector.
  • Make Curitiba a smart city that is attractive to businesses.

The main objective of the project is to triple the current solar capacity in the state and pave the way for rooftop PV projects across the city. Additionally, the project provides a capacity building opportunity for the local technical team who can use the knowledge they gain to work on the development of similar projects in the future.

The City of Curitiba is responsible for the project’s planning and implementation with C40 CFF providing the following:

  • A dedicated technical advisor based within the city administration;
  • Technical feasibility study for the 4 rooftop PV projects and 1 surface PV plant;
  • A legal and institutional study to develop tender documents, financing strategies and contract models for public private partnership (PPP) investments;
  • Develop a business case for the project covering payback period, cost-benefit analysis, avoided costs analysis;
  • Analysis of potential future revenue streams, including a private sector engagement strategy, with the intention of upscaling the project.
  • The timeframe for C40 CFF support is until December 2020 and expected implementation of the program is 2021.

A pilot program installing PV projects on 26 social housing units and a rooftop at City Hall has been conducted.

The lead agency for the project is the City of Curitiba. C40 CFF will support the municipality to prepare applications/proposals to potential financing sources, such as the green climate fund (GCF), multilateral banks, private financial institutions, regional, national and international development banks etc. Possible institutional models including PPP, specific purpose society, joint venture, lease arrangements and other possible options will also be evaluated.

Despite the solar potential in Brazil, solar power accounts form a miniscule share of Brazil’s energy supply. There is limited uptake due to lack of proven business models, limited understanding of technologies and to some extent energy sector regulations. In the long term, the project will pave the way for scaling up of rooftop PV projects across Curitiba and 28 other municipalities in the metropolitan region of Curitiba.

An emissions reduction of 1,150 tons per year of CO2 is forecast.

The expected main challenges for the project are:

How to deal with the urban impact on the city along with the architectural impact on the public buildings?

C40 CFF will support the city with several studies in urban laws and architecture compatibility, including benchmarking with other cities across the world.

How will the city handle a workflow for Renewable Energy Projects?

C40 CFF will support the city to structure a workflow within the city administration to better handle future renewable energy projects.

How to define the most appropriate business models within several legal restrictions?

C40 CFF will support the City to overcome these barriers through studies outlining the advantages and disadvantages for each business model so the city can choose the best option.

Curitiba can act as an example to cities across Brazil and Latin America of how to deliver clean cheap energy to the city while reducing the cities dependence on the grid. 

Once the business models are studied and defined, other cities that have the same regulatory and legal context can benefit on learning how to implement Renewable Energy projects.

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Want to know more about this project?

C40 Cities Finance Facility
Berlin, Germany

C40 Cities Finance Facility

Institution | Technical assistance, Capacity Development & Knowledge Sharing
Joao Favaro De Oliveira
Curitiba, Brazil

Joao Favaro De Oliveira

Individual | Senior Project Advisor

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