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Rio Piracicaba

Hydro power plant in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Approximate location -19.8464, -43.1228.

HydroMinas GeraisBrazil

Rio Piracicaba is a 9 MW hydro power plant in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 9,010 homes (estimated). It ranks #1420 of 2,613 Brazil power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 51.8% of Brazil's electricity; the national grid averages 110 gCO₂/kWh (88.7% low-carbon) (2025).

9MW installed capacity
9,010homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id BRA0002075.

In context: how this plant compares

At 9 MW, Rio Piracicaba is below the median hydro plant in Brazil (12 MW). Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Brazil

Tucuruí: 8,535 MW9kTucuruíItaipu (Parte Brasileira): 7,000 MW7kItaipu (Pa…Jirau: 3,750 MW4kJirauSanto Antônio: 3,568 MW4kSanto Antô…Ilha Solteira: 3,444 MW3kIlha Solte…Belo Monte: 3,328 MW3kBelo MonteXingó: 3,162 MW3kXingóPaulo Afonso IV: 2,462 MW2kPaulo Afon…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a humid subtropical (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 19.8°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

20.0°Cannual mean temp
97heating degree-days (base 18°C)
818cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
755 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 22 °CJF: 23 °CFM: 22 °CMA: 20 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 19 °CSO: 21 °CON: 21 °CND: 22 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 96% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 15/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #384 largest hydro power plant of 701 in Brazil by capacity.

Brazil has 701 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 98,039 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -19.8464, -43.1228 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Cutting heat loss at this plant

Plants like this lose energy through hot valves, flanges, steam lines and heat exchangers. Inzonex makes removable, reusable valve, flange & pipe insulation that cuts that loss by up to 90% and holds surface temperatures under 45°C, unclipping in seconds for maintenance. See the industrial-AI efficiency hub for tools and benchmarks.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Rio Piracicaba?

Rio Piracicaba is a 9 MW hydro power plant in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

How many homes can Rio Piracicaba power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 9,010 homes (estimated).

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