From diesel to electric boats: zero-emission transport is possible in the Amazon

São Paulo, Oct 29 (EFE).- Solutions abound in Brazil's Amazon; the only thing lacking is funding for a sustainable rainforest. The Federal University of Pará (UFPA), whose capital, Belém, will host the global climate summit COP30, is developing prototypes of electric boats for a region that mostly runs on diesel.

Professors, researchers, and technicians are working together at the Center of Excellence in Energy Efficiency of the Amazon (Ceamazon) toward a common goal: applying technology to improve the daily lives of the people of the world’s largest tropical forest.

One of its research labs is dedicated to electric mobility. In the Brazilian Amazon, one of the poorest regions in the country, nearly 30 million people live—a quarter of them in rural areas, according to official data.

With 16,000 kilometers of navigable rivers, river transport is vital for a region with a historic infrastructure deficit and long battered by human activity such as mining and agriculture.

In this context, Ceamazon has been developing projects for boats powered by renewable energy.

A catamaran with lithium batteries and solar panels

“We developed from scratch an electric catamaran with capacity for 25 seated passengers,” Maria Emília de Lima Tostes, a professor at UFPA’s Institute of Technology and coordinator of Ceamazon, told EFE.

It was built from aluminum, a lighter material that allows for lithium batteries to be installed, and fitted with solar panels on the deck. The vessel has an eight-hour range and is already operating on the UFPA campus in Belém, where distances can reach up to nine kilometers.

Two electric buses serving students have been added to the catamaran, creating what has been dubbed “the first green corridor in the Amazon,” said Silvia Cabral, director of Regulation, Commercialization and Sustainability at Norte Energia.

The project is supported by Norte Energia, which operates the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant in Pará, and is also investing in the development of electric speedboats in another joint initiative by Ceamazon and UFPA’s Naval Engineering department.

The so-called voadeiras are part of the collective imagery of Amazonian life. They are used for fishing, carrying small loads and commuting to work.

A green solution, but also a social one

In parallel, Ceamazon is also designing electric motors to replace the rabetas, another traditional type of Amazonian vessel powered by diesel engines with exposed propeller shafts.

This new model would not only reduce the use of diesel, which pollutes rivers that are the main source of food for many communities, but also help eliminate serious social problems.

One of them is the frequent accidents caused when passengers’ long hair becomes entangled in the open shafts, violently tearing the scalp.

“With electric motors, this problem would be reduced to practically zero,” said Tostes, referring to the initiative supported by the Funding Authority for Studies and Projects (Finep), a federal government agency.

Tostes and her team are also working with the Naval Engineering department on a hybrid medical boat to travel long distances, with funding from the National Service for Industrial Training (Senai), a private non-profit entity.

Because of the lack of public funding, they have increasingly turned to private companies to move these initiatives forward, as large-scale implementation requires major investment.

“There are many skilled and well-trained people in the Amazon, but what’s missing is investment,” she said.

Even so, Tostes believes that in the long term, zero-emission transport in the Amazon will be possible. She said COP30, which will begin in November, will be “fundamental” and expressed confidence that international delegations will be open to seeing “the reality of the Amazon.”

cms/mp/cll/jrh

(photo)

EFE published this report with the support of Norte Energia.

Undated handout photo released by Norte Energia showing an electric boat sailing on the Guamá River in Belém, Brazil. EFE/ Helderlana/ Norte Energía /EDITORIAL USE ONLY/ NO SALES/ ONLY AVAILABLE TO ILLUSTRATE THE ACCOMPANYING NEWS STORY (MANDATORY CREDIT)

Undated handout photo released by Norte Energia showing an electric boat sailing on the Guamá River in Belém, Brazil. EFE/ Helderlana/ Norte Energía /EDITORIAL USE ONLY/ NO SALES/ ONLY AVAILABLE TO ILLUSTRATE THE ACCOMPANYING NEWS STORY (MANDATORY CREDIT)