Barriers and perspectives for the expansion of wind farms in BRAZIL

Abstract

The use of renewable sources for electricity generation has as main benefits the preservation of natural resources, security in the distribution of electricity and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Research has shown that the participation of wind in the Brazilian electrical matrix has increased considerably in recent years, despite the existence of multiple barriers to the implementation of wind farms in the country. This study aims to identify and evaluate the current barriers to the expansion of wind farms in Brazil, suggesting ways to overcome them. Based on a systematic review of the literature, the evaluation of the complexity level and associated risk, the barriers were categorized into seven groups. The results indicated that four barriers are more relevant in relation to the expansion of wind farms in Brazil: unstable macroeconomic environment, government policy uncertainty, system constraints, and lack of infrastructure. On this basis, apart from the recent growth of wind energy in Brazil, actions must be taken to mitigate the identified barriers, as the most complex barriers need government intervention to be removed or mitigated, since the electricity market is highly regulated and complex in Brazil. Further research is needed to rank and analyze more deeply the barriers that were identified here, through interviews with stakeholders and visits to wind farms.