HartBR & EMAE – A Smart Grid Project applying the DORIS System to the Electricity Distribution of São Tomé e Príncipe
Initiated in 2024, the DORIS (Distribution Operation Reinforced by Intelligent Switches) project emerges as a strategic response to modernize the country’s electrical grid operation. It is the result of international cooperation and funding from the European Union (EU) through the Digital Energy program.
The DORIS system is a solution based on remote load-break switches or reclosers with distributed agents, designed with a clear objective: to eliminate instability and mitigate the socioeconomic impacts caused by power supply interruptions.
The implemented technology consists of an automated distribution management system that utilizes intelligent switches integrated with IoT communication networks, enabling:
Real-time remote monitoring;
Instantaneous fault detection;
Automatic isolation of affected grid sections.
The main differentiator of DORIS lies in its BDI (Beliefs, Desires, and Intentions) Architecture. This artificial intelligence framework allows devices to make autonomous decisions, reconfiguring the grid and restoring service with minimal human intervention to ensure greater continuity and system resilience.
To date, the results demonstrate a robust technical characterization of the electrical system. To achieve this, DORIS is based in structured databases and prior power flow analyses that allow for the identification of critical grid points with enhanced efficiency and operational reliability.
The success of an R&D project can only be achieved through the synergy between institutions and companies of excellence. For this reason, INESC P&D Brasil, together with HartBR—a Brazilian company specializing in electronics and automation for the electrical sector—combined technical expertise with EMAE (Empresa de Água e Electricidade) of São Tomé e Príncipe to develop this innovation of significant technological and socioeconomic impact.