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Wind and Solar Energy Companies Face Million-Dollar Fines for Exceeding the Electricity System Generation Capacity. Fines for Excess Production Already Sum to R$ 1 Billion.
The wind and solar energy sectors are living in a somewhat curious contradiction. Backed by subsidies, both renewable sources have been significantly increasing their share in the Brazilian electricity matrix. However, wind and solar companies are fined for generating energy beyond the capacity of the electrical system. Understand better how this fine for producing energy works.
Fines for Generating Energy Beyond the Electricity System Capacity Are Billion-Dollar and Frighten Renewable Sector Companies
In 2024 alone, the expansion of electricity supply from wind and solar companies accounted for 93% of the total 7 gigawatts (GW) in the country, through 93 new solar power plants and 90 wind farms. On the other hand, the two segments have recorded fines for producing energy that reach R$ 1 billion because the electricity transmission system cannot cope with the supply of electricity generation connected to the system from these two renewable sources.
As a result, the National Electric System Operator (ONS) is forced to cut generation at certain times to avoid overloading the transmission system.
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These cuts, called constrained-off, by the sector, are made without notice or scheduling, impacting wind and solar companies that have energy supply contracts they cannot fulfill and are forced to buy energy in the free market at a higher cost to meet customer needs.
Solution Found for the Fine for Producing Energy
Many cases have gone to court, with companies demanding reimbursement for fines due to energy production, which has pressured authorities in the electric sector for a solution. The major loss is in the wind segment, amounting to R$ 700 million. The remaining R$ 300 million falls to solar plants.
To avoid these fines for generating energy beyond the capacity of the electrical system, a regulation from the ONS that came into force on September 17 was well received by sector agents, initially in the states of Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte, with the possibility of extension.
Generally, it stops concentrating energy generation cuts at a few points with higher volume, which penalized certain plants more, distributing these cuts more broadly and among a greater number of units. Experts highlight this contradiction in the fine for generating energy beyond the system’s capacity as one of the biggest bottlenecks in the current electric sector.
Main Problems in the Electric System
Strictly speaking, there are two overlapping problems for wind and solar companies. One is the excess supply of energy generation connected to the electrical system from these two renewable sources, which has not been matched by growth in demand or by the capacity to transport the energy to consumer centers.
The other problem is geographical, as a large part of wind and solar generation is concentrated in the Northeast of the country, while the consumption of this energy occurs, to a greater extent, in the Southeast. If the consumption of electricity from wind and solar companies were closer to the consumption location, there would be no major consequences.
Since energy is transported over long distances through transmission lines, the so-called “linhões,” the ONS is forced to cut generation at certain times, as the advancements in generation have not been accompanied by an increase in the installation of transmission lines. There are plants that experienced 70% generation cuts in a month and received fines for generating energy beyond the capacity of the electric system.
Imagino a decepção de quem construiu e instalou tantas turbinas eólicas e painéis solares ao se deparar com a completa inutilidade da infraestrutura brasileira e ainda receber multa por feito tudo certo…
Vergonha, um governo que não está preocupado com o desenvolvimento do país. Libera está **** de construção e reforço das redes de distribuição e deixa que o setor privado de conta, assim como ocorre na geração. A questão é a inveja de quem gera lucro e ganha dinheiro. No comunismo é assim mesmo.
Quando vocês defenderem privatizações lembrem-se disso! Grande parte das linhas são privatizadas! Os contratos leoninos muitas vezes impedem o governo de construir novas linhas! Penso que agora o impedimento contratual já venceu! não é mais o problema! Mas o setor de transmissão é forte e pressiona os governos para não haver essas construções! Pois as linhas são “alugadas” pelas geradoras! O sistema é cheio de travas para dar lucro aos capetalistas! Eles não se importam com qual tipo de geração eles estão trabalhando… e a geração de energia “limpa” ainda não consegue suprir todo o sistema! Em parte por conta dessas “travas” que são de todo tipo!