O Brazil has all the potential of the world to position itself as one of the main countries leading the energy transition, but for that, still will need to follow a long path of improvements socio-environmental, regulatory, operational, planning and pricing.
This is what the study points out “Integration of renewable energy into the Brazilian electrical system”, from IEMA (Institute of Energy and Environment), in partnership with the Clean Energy Coalition, released this Thursday (15).
O document recognizes the challenges Brazil faces to include the growing volume of renewable source projects, such as solar, wind and biomass, in the national electrical system and provides guidance for the country to achieve this objective.
A participation of renewable sources is aligned with the final document of the COP 28 (United Nations Conference on Climate Change), held last year in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, which indicates the planet's need triple the production of renewable energy and double energy efficiency by the end of this decade.
The study points out that the renewable sources in Brazil, excluding hydroelectric plants, have ed growth in line with the target proposed by the UN (United Nations), with wind and solar sources together jumping from 35,4 GW to 66 GW of installed capacity, a growth of 89% between January 2022 and 2024.
If hydroelectric and biomass sources are included, the growth of renewables in the period went from 160,6 to 192,8 GW. THE Brazil's contributioninclusive is highlighted in the IEA's global renewable energy growth report (International Energy Agency).
Yet, the document draws attention to the fact that The country still needs to put all this production potential into practice more efficiently.
“We are at a time of major changes in the Brazilian electrical matrix and, in order for us to be able to accommodate the volume of renewable sources offered by the market and projected in the text of COP 28, adjustments are necessary to improve the functioning of the system”, describes Ricardo Baitelo , project manager at IEMA and author of the study.
Required actions
For the institute, the main actions needed for better integration of renewable sources in the electrical matrix, they can be divided into the areas of regulation, planning, operation and economic criteria.
The first proposal presented by IEMA in its study is the change in the strategic role of hydroelectric plants.
“In addition to the supply of electrical energy, to which they contribute massively, the operation of the plants can enhance important services to the system for storing energy in an economical way and for supplying power at critical moments, balancing the variability of wind and solar as well as transmission incidents.”
An example of a proposed operational adaptation cited by the study would be the Sobradinho hydroelectric plant, in Bahia, whose strategic location would allow part of its use to provide flexibility services, that is, part of the plant's energy would be used for a specific service. of power, which would involve a reduction in its physical guarantee.
According to the Institute, the modernization of hydroelectric plants for reversible use, in which water from reservoirs can be pumped again and used, is another alternative that would contribute more energy to the system and would imply the implementation of appropriate remuneration for the service provided.
“Based on these proposals, the existing large hydroelectric plants and the current transmission network would continue to provide security in energy supply, complementing solar and wind energy sources”, highlights the study.
Another point raised concerns the power transmission, since the Institute assesses that it is necessary to have planning for more than five years to reconcile the growth rate of renewable sources with expansion of networks.
“There are more than 70 GW of solar projects in planning in states in the Northeast alone and more transmission lines will be needed to for this growth, such as the Janaúba line to reinforce the flow of energy to the Southeast or the expansion of the network between Maranhão and Goiás”.
For IEMA, equate the advancement of electricity transmission It is a complex task that requires extensive studies. “The length of transmission lines in Brazil will already be around 180 thousand km in 2022, allowing, on the one hand, greater capacity for energy exchange between all regions and energy generation sources”.
The study, however, highlights that, on the other hand, it is necessary to carry out studies and analyzes to optimize the expansion of transmission, avoiding the existence of idleness of lines already built.
In addition to increasing transmission capacity, IEMA also highlights that another ally to enhance transmission expansion of intermittent renewable sources would be the systems energy storage.
“Installing battery banks alongside renewable systems could reduce voltage fluctuations and increase the suitability of these sources for the system. It also stabilizes the variation in the supply of renewable generation at certain times, leveling the supply and reducing waste”, he highlights.
Another cited advantage of storage systems is the reduction in the cost of expanding the transmission system, by avoiding or postponing the construction of new transmission lines.
The study also cites the need for more hybrid parks, which combine solar and wind energy, solar and hydroelectric, among other options. "THE combination of solar plants and wind farmss brings economic gains, by taking advantage of the same substation and transmission network, in addition to reduce operating costs".
Unfortunately, according to the study, this type of system is still concentrated in the research and development project stage or in small parks in isolated electricity systems, such as in Roraima.
Finally, another highlight classified as “equally important” by the study is the growing role of DG (distributed generation). “Residential, commercial or industrial consumers have increasingly produced electricity and this will influence the flow and demand according to periods of the day.”
According to IEMA, the load curve of these systems has a supplement concentrated during the day, which needs to be replaced by other sources at sunset.
“In this case, dispatchable power is essential to maintain the safety of the electrical system. New technologies and methods of energy storage, centralized or distributed, can fulfill this function and must be available in the portfolio of options of the national operator, as well as distribution network operators”, highlights the study, which can be accessed through this link.
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