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CENTRALES HÍBRIDAS EN EL CONTEXTO DE LA
TRANSICIÓN ENERGÉTICA
HYBRID POWER PLANTS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE
ENERGY TRANSITION
Vinicius Santos Pereira1, Edmar Luiz Fagundes Almeida2
Marco Antonio Haikal Leite3, Sergio Luiz Pinto Castiñeiras Filho4
Recibido: 28/10/2024 y Aceptado: 12/3/2025
1.- vinicius.pereira@aluno.puc-rio.br
2.- edmar@puc-rio.br
3.- mahaikal@puc-rio.br
4.-sergiocastfh@gmail.com
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Las centrales híbridas están ganando protagonismo en el escenario de la transición energética por su
capacidad para integrar múltiples fuentes de energía, renovables o no, en un único sistema de generación.
Este enfoque, a menudo complementado con sistemas de almacenamiento, pretende maximizar la
producción de energía y reducir la variabilidad del suministro, lo que se traduce en un abastecimiento más
able y económico.
Este artículo pretende analizar el atractivo y las posibles aportaciones de las centrales eléctricas híbridas en
el contexto de la transición energética, centrándose en su competitividad económica, sus ventajas técnicas y
sus retos normativos. Se presenta y analiza el concepto de centrales híbridas y su aplicación en la regulación
brasileña. A continuación, el documento señala las principales motivaciones para el uso de sistemas híbridos
de generación, centrándose en los impactos de la difusión de las energías renovables variables, como la
energía solar distribuida, en la curva de demanda de energía despachable se discuten. El precio horario de la
energía debido a la variabilidad de la carga se analiza en la tercera sección, destacando las oportunidades de
las centrales híbridas en el mercado actual. El documento también analiza la popularización de las centrales
híbridas debido a la reducción del coste de las tarifas por el uso de la red de distribución y la contribución
potencial de las centrales híbridas a la descarbonización de los sistemas aislados. Por último, el documento
presenta ejemplos de proyectos de generación híbrida en Brasil y explora la agenda de investigación
relacionada con las centrales híbridas, destacando un proyecto piloto que está desarrollando el Instituto
de Energía de la PUC-Rio. En resumen, las centrales híbridas representan una estrategia prometedora para
afrontar los retos de la transición energética, ofreciendo una solución exible y económicamente viable para
la generación de electricidad.
Hybrid plants are gaining prominence in the energy transition scenario due to their ability to integrate
multiple energy sources, whether renewable or not, into a single generation system. This approach, often
complemented by storage systems, aims to maximize energy production and reduce variability in supply,
resulting in a more reliable and economical supply.
This article aims to analyze the attractiveness and potential contributions of hybrid power plants in the
context of energy transition, focusing on their economic competitiveness, technical advantages, and
regulatory challenges. The concept of hybrid power plants and their application in Brazilian regulation is
presented and analyzed. Next, the paper points out the main motivations for the use of hybrid generation
systems, focusing on the impacts of the diusion of variable renewable energies, such as distributed solar
energy, on the dispatchable energy demand curve are discussed. The hourly pricing of energy due to load
variability is analyzed in the third section, highlighting the opportunities for hybrid plants in the current market.
The paper also discusses the popularization of hybrid plants due to the reduction in the cost of taris for use
of the distribution network and the potential contribution of hybrid power plants to the decarbonization of
isolated systems. Finally, the paper presents examples of hybrid generation projects in Brazil and explores the
research agenda related to hybrid plants, highlighting a pilot project being developed by the Energy Institute
of PUC-Rio. In summary, hybrid power plants represent a promising strategy for meeting the challenges of
the energy transition, oering a exible and economically viable solution for electricity generation.
PALABRAS CLAVE: centrales híbridas, transición energética, energías renovables, almacenamiento de
energía, energía solar distribuida, taricación horaria de la energía, descarbonización, sistemas aislados,
proyecto piloto, generación de energía eléctrica.
KEYWORDS: emissions, methane, natural gas supply chain, mitigation measures, abatement costs.
Resumen
Abstract
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1. INTRODUCTION
The global energy transition is reshaping the
electricity sector, driven by economic, regulatory,
and technological transformations. One of the key
developments in this transition is the increasing
deployment of hybrid power plants, which integrate
multiple energy sources to enhance reliability,
optimize costs, and reduce environmental
impacts. Hybrid power plants play a crucial role
in addressing the intermittency of renewable
sources while maximizing the eciency of existing
energy infrastructure.
Hybrid power plants combine dierent primary
energy sources, such as solar, wind, hydro,
biomass, and fossil fuels, often incorporating energy
storage systems to improve supply stability. This
integration allows for better adaptation to uctuating
energy demand, reducing supply disruptions
and optimizing the utilization of transmission and
distribution networks. Consequently, hybrid power
plants contribute to system resilience, economic
eciency, and the overall sustainability of electricity
generation (Wichert, 1997; Manwell, 2004; Lazárov
et al., 2005).
The Brazilian electricity sector is undergoing
signicant changes to incorporate hybrid power
generation. The regulatory framework established
by the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel),
particularly Normative Resolution No. 954,
provides guidelines for implementing hybrid and
associated power plants in the country. These
regulations aim to facilitate the integration of
renewable energy sources, improve grid stability,
and reduce costs associated with energy
generation and distribution. In this context, hybrid
power plants have emerged as a strategic solution
for both interconnected and isolated power
systems.
This article aims to assess the role of hybrid
power plants in the energy transition by analyzing
their technical, economic, and regulatory
aspects. Specically, it explores how hybridization
strategies can be optimized to improve
energy reliability, reduce costs, and support
decarbonization eorts. The study also examines
how hourly energy pricing, network usage costs,
and regulatory incentives inuence the adoption
of hybrid power plants, providing insights into
their economic competitiveness and potential for
widespread implementation.
To achieve this objective, the article is structured
around the following key topics:
Denition and regulatory framework of
hybrid power plants in Brazil – An overview
of hybrid power plant congurations and
their regulation under Aneel’s Normative
Resolution No. 954.
Impact of renewable energy penetration
on dispatchable generation – Analysis of
how the expansion of variable renewable
energy sources aects the demand for
dispatchable energy and grid stability.
Hourly energy pricing and hybrid power
plants – Investigation of how hybrid
generation systems can optimize energy
sales and system operation under hourly
pricing mechanisms.
Reduction of network usage costs
through hybridization – Assessment of
how hybrid plants can lower transmission
and distribution costs by optimizing energy
generation proles.
Decarbonization potential of hybrid power
plants in isolated systems – Evaluation of
how hybridization can replace fossil-fuel-
based generation in remote areas, reducing
carbon emissions and operational costs.
Economic competitiveness and feasibility
of hybrid power plants – Examination of
key factors inuencing the nancial viability
of hybrid systems under dierent market
conditions.
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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
specic 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 signicant gains
associated with the ability to adapt energy supply
to the characteristics of demand.
The generation hybridization strategy can
be adapted to the specic characteristics of
the demand curve of a region or consumer,
considering the availability of natural resources
and local needs. The combination of dierent
energy sources in a single installation has the
potential to enhance operational eciency,
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 benets 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 eciency 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
dierent 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 dened
as a facility that produces electricity from a
combination of dierent generation technologies,
with dierent metering per generation technology
or not, subject to a single grant. In contrast, an
associated generating plant is dened as a facility
that produces electricity from a combination of
dierent generation technologies, with dierent
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.
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Figure 1 - Hybrid and Associated Plant Arrangements (Aneel, 2021).
As illustrated in the initial chart of Figure 1, the
associated plants are organized according to a
scheme that encompasses two or more licenses
and the shared utilization of the connection.
Consequently, the aforementioned plants are
subject to two distinct metering but have a single
contract regarding the use of the transmission
system. In contrast, hybrid plants, as illustrated
in the second table, possess a single license
but employ two or more power generation
technologies. These plants can be classi ed in
two distinct manners: rstly, each technology is
associated with a distinct meter; secondly, a single
meter is utilized, with the technologies sharing the
same transmission system.
It is also important to note that separate
measurements by generation technology are
required for hybrid power plants that employ
technologies centrally dispatched by the
National System Operator (ONS). Furthermore,
it is imperative to underscore that in instances
of hybridization or association of generating
plants, there must be no compromise in meeting
contractual obligations within the regulated
framework. This is to ensure the stability and
reliability of the electricity supply.
As stated by EPE (2018), the primary advantages
of hybrid plants can be summarized as follows:
Increased utilization of available
transmission and/or distribution system
capacity
Optimized use of available land area
Enhanced logistics and implementation
planning through synergies
• Operational synergies
Shared utilization of system equipment of
restricted interest
• Reduction of generator costs with network
usage tari s
One of the rst projects to receive approval from
Aneel was the Neoenergia Renewable Complex,
comprising the associations of Neoenergia
Chafariz and Neoenergia Luzia in Figure 2.
These two solar and wind renewable energy
generation facilities are associated with the
objective of supplying energy to Paraíba. The
plants have an installed capacity of approximately
620 MW, distributed between solar panels and
wind generators connected to the National
Interconnected System, which integrates the
production and distribution of electricity in Brazil.
The total output is su cient to supply 1.3 million
homes per year (Neoenergia, 2022).