11 September 2023
Harnessing the potential of the Brazilian wind market
Brazil’s wind sector is in its relative infancy compared to the more mature markets in Europe, but the country has a clear roadmap to support its growth in support of net zero goals.
It was reported just last month that Brazil’s government is expected to approve a series of energy transition related bills ahead of COP28 that will boost the country’s decarbonisation credentials. Rodrigo Rollemberg, a secretary at Brazil’s development ministry, said this would green-light projects that would increase the use of renewable fuels and regulate related sectors, such as offshore wind farms.
This follows the government’s publication of its Triennial Work Plan that sets an annual target of 350 million tonnes of hydrogen production from offshore wind-generated electricity, with a further 6.9 million tonnes per year from nuclear.
The drive for green hydrogen is set to accelerate the offshore wind sector, with both sources taking a greater share of the evolving energy mix.
Navigating Brazil’s offshore wind boom
While Brazil had 24GW of installed onshore wind capacity as of April 2023, there are no offshore farms currently installed or under construction. The potential for offshore wind generation is exponential. This also brings significant opportunities for the sector to learn lessons from mature markets around the world, to ensure the foundations are strong for long-term success.
As of March 2023, Brazil had around 183GW of offshore wind projects being evaluated by the federal environmental licensing agency. With these developments set to include complex and large capacity turbines, operators will be under pressure to ensure these assets remain productive. The country faces similar supply chain issues as the rest of the world, with long lead-times for essential components. This means that unnecessary downtime will need to be avoided at all costs.
ONYX Insight has been active in Brazil for several years, applying our extensive global experience to support developers seeking unbiased technical support. We are already operational across more than 300 turbines in the country, with this number set to reach over 1,000 by next year. As turbines move offshore, and therefore become less accessible, our expertise in predictive maintenance will prove invaluable.
Predictive maintenance for enhanced reliability
As the established European wind markets are developing more sophisticated predictive maintenance (PdM) strategies, Brazil has the unique opportunity to apply this technology from the initial design phase. If operators factor in failure from the design stage and introduce methods such as PdM tools, they can manage wind assets much more effectively. This ultimately allows for greater O&M planning out with the windy season to maximise production. It also enables operators to plan in line with component and equipment lead-times, reduce downtime and increase productivity.
This technology can also identify where turbines are under-performing, allowing for early intervention to ensure productivity remains high. Put simply, the adoption of new technologies can predict faults long before they happen.
We have gained significant experience in Brazil through our work with a major operator in the country so have a strong understanding of current regional challenges. Our ecoCMS technology was first deployed for the operator in 2020, enabling the business to achieve savings of up to 30% through effective predictive maintenance. The project has delivered increased reliability through its advanced data analytics in the last three years.
As the wind industry continues its upwards trajectory, ONYX Insight is ideally placed to apply our expertise and technology to ensure the longstanding success of the sector.
ONYX Insight will be exhibiting on stand C-40 at Brazil WindPower from 12 – 14 September with Jose Morais also be speaking at the O&M Congress.
Contact [email protected] if you’d like to arrange a meeting to learn more about how our technology can your wind turbine reliability