PCT Guamá Startup Creates Sustainable Station for Electric Cars in Belém
Product made with renewable materials serves electric vehicles and can generate income by adding value to the businesses of common users and companies
Sustainability, innovation, and appreciation of Amazonian resources. This is the foundation of the charging station for electric vehicles, created by S&L Energia, a startup based in the Guamá Science and Technology Park (PCT) in Belém. The equipment is environmentally friendly, and this is a significant differentiator, as it was manufactured with biocomposite, a renewable and biodegradable material made from natural fibers such as jute and plant resin. Conventional models are generally made from plastic, metal, or synthetic materials that negatively impact the environment.
According to Sandro Leite, the company's commercial director, the idea arose from the growing need to expand the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in Pará. “We thought of a station powered by solar energy and built with biocomposite to create a truly sustainable cycle. Our goal is to meet the demand that is emerging both in Belém and in the interior of Pará,” he explains.
The design of the station was based on the research of materials engineer Márcio Leite, who is also the company's operational director. He emphasizes that the use of jute fiber ensures lightness, strength, and waterproofing of the product. “There is a specific technique for compacting and agglomerating the materials to achieve these physical and mechanical properties,” he states.
Utility and business opportunities for common users and companies
With charger options ranging from 7 kW, 11 kW, and 22 kW, the station can supply, for example, a vehicle with a 30 kWh battery in about one hour and twenty minutes, using a 22 kW charger. The solution is aimed at both end users and companies interested in offering the service as a competitive differentiator. “The first concern of anyone buying an electric car is knowing where they will charge it. In addition to facilitating this routine, the station can add value to businesses such as supermarkets and shopping centers,” explains Maurício Silva, the startup's technical director.
Connection with the innovation ecosystem
Having been established in the PCT Guamá for just over a year, S&L Energia is already reaping the benefits of interaction with the local innovation ecosystem. “Here we have made important connections, participated in events, lectures, and presentations for students and international visitors. It is a source of pride to develop our projects in a space recognized in Pará and the Amazon,” emphasizes Sandro.
For João Weyl, president of the Guamá Foundation, a science and technology institution (ICT) that manages the Park, the startup's activities highlight the transformative potential of the innovation environment. “The proposal is intelligent from an electrical and computational perspective, but the competitive differentiator also lies in the use of sustainable materials, such as Amazonian fibers. This adds value and reinforces the innovative character of the product,” he highlights.
Support for Pará innovation
In 2023, S&L Energia was awarded by the Centelha II program, executed in the state by the Amazon Foundation for Support of Studies and Research (Fapespa). Nationally coordinated by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) and Finep, the initiative promotes innovative entrepreneurship by offering training, financial resources, and technical support. “We have enormous human potential and real conditions to create technology looking at our natural wealth and biodiversity,” concludes Sandro.
Reference in innovation in the Amazon
The PCT Guamá is an initiative of the Government of Pará, through the State Secretariat of Science, Technology and Higher, Professional and Technological Education (Sectet), in partnership with the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) and the Federal Rural University of the Amazon (Ufra), managed by the Guamá Foundation.
It is the first technological park in the Northern region of Brazil and aims to stimulate applied research and innovative and sustainable entrepreneurship to improve the quality of life of the population.
Located on the banks of the Guamá River, which gives its name to the complex, the PCT is situated between the campuses of the two universities and has an ecosystem rich in biodiversity, extending over 72 hectares, designated for buildings and the Environmental Protection Area (APA) of the Metropolitan Region of Belém.
The complex has more than 30 resident companies (physically installed in the Park), over 40 associates (linked to the Park but not physically installed), 12 research and development laboratories for processes and products, and a technical school.
The PCT Guamá is part of the National Association of Entities Promoting Innovative Enterprises (Anprotec) and the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (Iasp), and is part of the largest innovation ecosystem in the world.
