Feasibility of intermittent energy sources

The electricity sector is capital intensive. Careful planning, stable rules and economic rationality are essential to achieving and maintaining cost competitiveness.

Solar and wind energy are booming in Brazil.

These sources are intermittent. Therefore they cannot operate without the support of conventional backup power..

This problem has existed for many years and has been very well resolved. Specifically cogeneration projects installed "inside the fence of large industries" contract "backup" power from the local utility. Thus if there is an interruption (planned or or) the public grid takes over instantly so that everything remains in normal operation.

For a price, of course! There is a demand and a consumption rate. The demand is to provide for the reserve of capacity and the consumption to cope with the energy that the public grid delivers in a "backup" situation.

The message is simple. It will be worthwhile to create such a mechanism to make intermittent sources available and feasible for all parties involved. There is no free lunch!