Brazil: Wind power and photovoltaic installations grow rapidly

    As a major hydropower country, Brazil's hydropower installed capacity accounts for nearly 80% of the total renewable energy power installed capacity so far. With the rapid economic growth and the impact of the drought this year, Brazil's energy supply has tightened, and both coal and natural gas need to be imported in large quantities. In this context, wind power and Solar Home Electricity have become the best options for Brazil to reduce its dependence on fossil energy.

    Inspired by the mid- to long-term emission reduction targets and the continuous improvement of renewable energy competitiveness, Brazil has had a strong willingness to develop renewable energy in recent years. A few days ago, Brazilian energy regulatory agency Aneel approved a new regulation for multi-energy complementary power stations, hoping to promote the development of renewable energy represented by wind power and photovoltaic power through continuous improvement of relevant laws and regulatory systems.

    New regulations promote clean energy development

    It is reported that the new bill released by Brazil first defines the range of energy types for multi-energy complementary power stations, clearly supports power stations with wind power and photovoltaic power generation as the main energy type, and allows the addition of hydropower and thermal power plants to encourage the synergy of different energy combinations Development has prompted Brazil to make better use of renewable energy.

    In addition, the new bill also promulgated the electricity price setting mechanism for such power stations, grid access thresholds, rules for signing electricity sales contracts, network fees, and related preferential tax policies.

    It is understood that as early as 2017, Brazilian public utilities began the exploration of multi-energy complementary power stations. Since then, some small demonstration projects have been put into operation. And just before Aneel approved the new bill, a batch of multi-energy complementary power plants based on wind power and photovoltaic power generation were still under construction.

    Aneel pointed out that investing in the construction of multi-energy complementary power stations can coordinate the planning of wind power, photovoltaic and other renewable energy power stations, effectively solving the problem of excessively large area of ​​power stations due to decentralization and other reasons, saving land and other non-technical costs, and also saving power transmission. The construction cost of the network reduces the risk of power plant operators.

    Elisa Bastos, head of Aneel, said: “The promulgation of the new bill can be seen as a milestone in the development of Brazil’s multi-energy complementary power stations. It provides a theoretical framework for the industry and ensures that investors, constructors, and operators have a clear understanding and strategy. Significance. Multi-energy complementary power stations integrate different types of energy, which can reduce grid-related investments and increase the diversity of renewable energy technologies."