Methodology for Defining Priority Locations for Carrying out a Forest Inventory in Points with Conflict between Urban Tree Planting and the Electricity Grid

Abstract

The Association of the Coal Industry of Santa Catarina (SATC), together with the State Electric Energy Company (CEEE/Equatorial) of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), seeks solutions to reduce conflicts between vegetation and electrical networks. This study was carried out having as an area for pilot the city of Porto Alegre, RS, where the distributor is responsible for the supply of electricity. The objective of this proposal was to define locations for carrying out a vegetation inventory through a predictive model. From satellite images, the existing vegetation in the distribution network was digitally extracted and, from this, five prioritization factors were associated via Hierarchical Process Analysis (HPA), resulting in an equation with consistency ratio where each factor is given a specific weight, resulting in a priority map. The final model is explained by 36% by the number of power outages, 21.5% by vegetation close to the grid, 21% by the affected population, 16.9% by the type of consumer, and 4.6% by the area from the neighborhood. This combination of factors resulted in ‘red zones’ in the pilot area, of which 100 points were chosen for carrying out a forest inventory, with an expected sampling significance of at least 97%. This makes it possible to develop a more assertive and spatially oriented forest inventory, and this model can be replicated in different urban centers.