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2. CONCEPT OF HYBRID POWER PLANTS
A variety of technological combinations may be
employed to facilitate the hybridization of existing or
novel generation systems. Potential combinations
include a wind power plant with photovoltaics and
batteries; a hydropower plant with photovoltaics;
a biomass thermal power plant with a gas power
plant and photovoltaics; among others. The
specic combinations to be pursued will depend
on the opportunities for reducing generation
costs by leveraging common infrastructures
and the complementarity of generation sources.
Furthermore, there may be signicant gains
associated with the ability to adapt energy supply
to the characteristics of demand.
The generation hybridization strategy can
be adapted to the specic characteristics of
the demand curve of a region or consumer,
considering the availability of natural resources
and local needs. The combination of dierent
energy sources in a single installation has the
potential to enhance operational eciency,
improve the reliability of electricity supply, and
reduce dependence on a single energy source.
For a power-generating plant to be considered
hybrid, the project must contain a single metering
• Case studies of hybrid generation projects
in Brazil – Presentation of real-world hybrid
power plant implementations, highlighting
their benets and challenges.
• Research agenda and pilot projects –
Discussion on ongoing research initiatives,
including the pilot hybrid power plant project
at the Energy Institute of PUC-Rio, which
aims to validate hybridization models and
assess their performance under real-world
conditions.
The article is organized into seven sections.
Following this introduction, Section 2 provides an
in-depth discussion on the concept and regulatory
landscape of hybrid power plants. Section 3
examines the impact of variable renewable energy
sources on dispatchable generation requirements
and explores the role of hybrid plants in adapting
to hourly energy pricing structures. Section 4
discusses how hybridization can reduce network
usage costs. Section 5 evaluates the potential
of hybrid power plants in decarbonizing and
reducing the costs of generation in isolated
systems. Section 6 outlines the research agenda
on hybrid power plants, with a particular focus
on experimental models and pilot projects being
developed to advance this eld. Finally, Section 7
presents the study’s conclusions.
By providing a comprehensive analysis of hybrid
power plants, this study contributes to the
understanding of their potential to accelerate
the energy transition, enhance grid stability, and
improve economic eciency in electricity markets.
system and a single license (Aneel, 2021). There
are also associated generating plants that also
integrate two or more energy sources, but with
dierent licenses and metering, which share the
same energy transmission system.
In Brazil, the National Electric Energy Agency
(Aneel) enacted Resolution regarding hybrid and
associated plants in 2021 through Normative
Resolution No. 954. This regulation involves power
plants with a capacity exceeding 5 MW, including
associated plants. A hybrid power plant is dened
as a facility that produces electricity from a
combination of dierent generation technologies,
with dierent metering per generation technology
or not, subject to a single grant. In contrast, an
associated generating plant is dened as a facility
that produces electricity from a combination of
dierent generation technologies, with dierent
licenses and metering systems, which physically
and contractually share the infrastructure for
connecting to and using the transmission system.
Figure 1 provides a schematic representation of
the hybrid and associated plant concepts.