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Equinor Activates First Hybrid Solar-Wind Power Complex in Brazil
Co-located solar and wind assets now generate electricity as a unified system, improving grid stability, lowering intermittency, and leveraging shared infrastructure to reduce operating costs.
www.equinor.com
Serra da Babilônia Solar facility in Brazil, co-located with the existing Serra da Babilônia Wind. Photo: Rio Energy
Renewable power applications such as grid-stabilizing generation, hybrid energy parks, and large-scale integrated solar-wind systems increasingly require coordinated production assets that reduce intermittency and maximize existing infrastructure. Equinor has taken a significant step in this direction as it begins commercial operations at Serra da Babilônia Solar in Brazil, creating its first hybrid power complex by pairing the new 140 MW solar facility with the existing 223 MW Serra da Babilônia Wind installation.
The co-located configuration enables complementary output, with solar and wind resources generating power at different times of day and across seasons. This operational alignment decreases variability typical of standalone renewable assets and contributes to a more reliable supply profile. The hybrid setup also reduces capital and operating costs by utilizing shared onsite infrastructure and achieving efficiencies during operations and maintenance, resulting in lower expenditures than an equivalent independent solar development.
Photo: Rio Energy.
Estimated annual production from the Serra da Babilônia Solar facility is 236 GWh, enough to supply electricity to approximately 143,000 Brazilian households. Energy from the hybrid complex will be marketed in Brazil through Equinor’s trading subsidiary, Danske Commodities.
The project reflects Equinor’s long-term strategy to expand and diversify its power business in Brazil. Alongside its existing oil and natural gas portfolio—such as the Raia project supplying around 15% of the country’s total gas demand—the company is increasing its renewable footprint. With Serra da Babilônia Solar now operational, Equinor has approximately 600 MW of combined solar and wind capacity producing power in Brazil, supported by trading optimization from Danske Commodities in São Paulo.
The hybrid asset is also the first project delivered by Rio Energy since becoming a wholly owned Equinor subsidiary in 2023. Rio Energy brings more than a decade of experience in onshore renewable development in Brazil and continues to serve as Equinor’s platform for growth in the country’s power sector, following its acquisition of the 223 MW operating wind complex and associated development pipeline.
www.equinor.com
Renewable power applications such as grid-stabilizing generation, hybrid energy parks, and large-scale integrated solar-wind systems increasingly require coordinated production assets that reduce intermittency and maximize existing infrastructure. Equinor has taken a significant step in this direction as it begins commercial operations at Serra da Babilônia Solar in Brazil, creating its first hybrid power complex by pairing the new 140 MW solar facility with the existing 223 MW Serra da Babilônia Wind installation.
The co-located configuration enables complementary output, with solar and wind resources generating power at different times of day and across seasons. This operational alignment decreases variability typical of standalone renewable assets and contributes to a more reliable supply profile. The hybrid setup also reduces capital and operating costs by utilizing shared onsite infrastructure and achieving efficiencies during operations and maintenance, resulting in lower expenditures than an equivalent independent solar development.
Photo: Rio Energy.
Estimated annual production from the Serra da Babilônia Solar facility is 236 GWh, enough to supply electricity to approximately 143,000 Brazilian households. Energy from the hybrid complex will be marketed in Brazil through Equinor’s trading subsidiary, Danske Commodities.
The project reflects Equinor’s long-term strategy to expand and diversify its power business in Brazil. Alongside its existing oil and natural gas portfolio—such as the Raia project supplying around 15% of the country’s total gas demand—the company is increasing its renewable footprint. With Serra da Babilônia Solar now operational, Equinor has approximately 600 MW of combined solar and wind capacity producing power in Brazil, supported by trading optimization from Danske Commodities in São Paulo.
The hybrid asset is also the first project delivered by Rio Energy since becoming a wholly owned Equinor subsidiary in 2023. Rio Energy brings more than a decade of experience in onshore renewable development in Brazil and continues to serve as Equinor’s platform for growth in the country’s power sector, following its acquisition of the 223 MW operating wind complex and associated development pipeline.
www.equinor.com
