Halfway through our study abroad trip we flew from Porto Alegre to Foz Do Iguacu, a city located near the tri-national boarder of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. The change in scenery was incredible, and this portion of the trip focused heavily on hydroelectric power generation
First, we had the incredible opportunity to tour the Itaipu Dam, a massive hydroelectric power plant located on the Paraná River, which borders Brazil and Paraguay. Itaipu is one of the largest generators of renewable energy in the world, and the scale of the facility was almost impossible to comprehend until seeing it in person. It’s not everyday you have the opportunity to see a 20 ton rotor spinning at over 90 RPM. Later in the week, we travelled five hours into the countryside of Brazil to tour HPP Baixo Iguacu. There, we toured another hydroelectric facility. We also got to see its turbines and generators, which are supplied by the American company, GE Vernova, that I intern for! It was cool seeing such familiar logos so far away from home.
Our most incredible experience of the entire 2 week program was visiting Iguazu Falls. Iguazu Falls is the largest waterfall system in the world, and it spans the border of Argentina and Brazil. This had to have been the most beautiful thing I have seen in my entire life.
Overall, our time in Foz do Iguacu combined engineering, sustainability, and natural beauty in a way that made this portion of the trip truly unforgettable.
Swanson School of Engineering 