Brazil is a country not without its problems, but in one area it is rich; renewable energy. It has many rivers that carry more fresh water than any other country in the world and so unsurprisingly has developed a lot of hydropower for its energy needs. But wind power is now seen as a potantially rich prize for energy planners.
A series of wind-turbine farms is being erected in Brazil’s windiest stretches. While hydropwer wil remain the main source of electricity here Brazil wants to avoid the penalties of having all its eggs in one basket. That was illustrated when in 2001 the country suffered blackouts when a drought reduced the flow of rivers into dams and hydropower failed to keep pace with demand.
The development of wind power is seen as ideal because the wind tends to blow strongest when the rain is not falling and filling the rivers and reservoirs. It won’t be trouble-free. Transmission lines for connection to the grid are lagging behind wind farm creation and Government red-tape and bureaucracy hinder investment.
But the wind, once seen as a curse by local farmers in Caetite in the Northeastern state of Bahia, is being transformed into a blessing. A 57-square-mile wind farm is being built here. Run by Renova Energia, the High Wilderness Wind Complex is nearing completion and will boast 400 wind turbines dotted across farms- the biggest collection of wind turbines in Latin America. These are high-tech turbines Turbines with torque-control sensors, radar and anemometers for measuring wind speed. On the latest turbines, the machine head that holds the rotor can pivot to get the best wind flow.
“In the first wind turbines, they could not turn the blades as these ones can. These can catch the wind constantly,” said Gerd Eriksen, a supervisor for Mammoet, a Dutch services giant that is installing turbines and towers in Caetite. “They’re measuring the wind, measuring the production, electronically and adjusting.”
I mentioned Government red-tape. One hindrance in Brazil has been government regulations, which require machinery for the industry to be made only in Brazilian plants. Consequently manufacturers from France Spain (and native Brazil) have had to set up new plants in Brazil.
