Swanson School of Engineering

Prior to leaving for Brazil, we learned about hydropower from Dr. Kerestes and how Brazil and Paraguay utilize it extensively to power their countries. Despite the Three Gorges Dam acceross the Yangtze River in China having a larger instantaneous power output, the Itaipu Dam across the Paraná River produces the most total energy on an annualized basis on many years due to the high amounts of rainfall in the Amazon Rainforest. We learned about the reservoir formed behind the dam and the function of the penstock. One completely new thing I learned was the concept of the infinite grid and how the frequency of large electric power grids is self sustaining due to the cumulative inertia of all the roasting generators currently connected together. Dr. Kerestes did mention that because the Itaipu Dam is so large, there may be additional measures put into place to ensure the dam’s turbines continue to spin at the proper frequency to avoid any grid disruptions, and I’m excited to learn more about these specific details. Of course, we also learned some introductory Portuguese which I am eager to expand upon during my time in the country. Some words and phrases are mutually intelligible with Spanish, but others are totally different or have completely novel pronunciations. I’m excited not only to visit the Itaipu Dam, but also to explore the various cities and university sites we’ll be visiting. I can’t wait to earn more Portuguese, understand what living in Brazil is like from those who call the country home, and expand upon my knowledge about electric power.