Reversible hydroelectric plants enter the debate over the future of Brazil’s electricity mix

Technology may take on a new role in an electric system that is increasingly dependent on the integration of renewable sources.

The future of Brazil’s electricity mix also depends on the ability to store energy and ensure system flexibility. As solar and wind generation expands, the challenge of managing the variability of these sources and ensuring energy supply during periods of peak demand grows. In this scenario, reversible hydroelectric plants (UHRs) can play a strategic role.

To discuss this topic and the path forward for Brazil, Coppe/UFRJ will bring together some of the key players in the electricity sector on September 9 for the panel discussion “Por que o Brasil ainda não aproveita o potencial das hidrelétricas reversíveis?” (Why hasn’t Brazil yet tapped into the potential of reversible hydroelectric plants?). The event aims to spark a discussion not only about the technology’s potential but also about the regulatory, economic, and technological challenges to its adoption and the role that reversible hydroelectric plants can play in the future of Brazil’s energy mix.

The debate takes on added significance in light of a unique Brazilian characteristic. It was in Brazil, in São Paulo, that the world’s first reversible turbine began operating in 1939. Today, although Brazil accounts for about 8% of the world’s installed hydropower capacity, there are no reversible hydropower plants in operation within the country.

In practice, reversible hydroelectric plants function as large-scale energy storage systems. With two reservoirs at different levels, they can use periods of lower demand or excess generation to pump water to the upper reservoir. When the system needs energy, the water returns to the lower reservoir, driving the turbines and generating electricity.

This technology takes on special importance in a scenario of expanding solar and wind power, whose generation varies according to weather conditions. Storage allows energy to be shifted over time and increases the system’s flexibility, helping to balance supply and demand.

For Coppe director Professor Suzana Kahn, who will moderate the panel, this discussion should extend beyond the generation capacity of hydroelectric plants.

“Hydropower, for example, which is the backbone of our electricity generation, should also be considered a natural battery for the electric grid, performing a systemic function. Reservoirs offset the variability of wind and solar generation. Therefore, hydropower should not be viewed solely in terms of the number of megawatts generated, but also as a facilitator of the integration of intermittent sources into the electric system.”

The panel will feature Marcos Izumida Martins, R&D and Innovation Manager at Axia Energia; Jairo Terra Ferreira Filho, Head of Regulation and Litigation at PSR; Ricardo Oliveira, CEO of Geocoba; Marcelo Lopes, Director of Generation and Transmission Operations at Neoenergia; and Professor Djalma Falcão, from the Electrical Engineering Program at Coppe/UFRJ.

The goal is to bring together different perspectives—industry, electricity sector stakeholders, regulators, and academia—to discuss an issue that is likely to gain importance in the energy transition: how to expand the storage capacity and flexibility of the Brazilian electricity system, and what role reversible hydroelectric plants should play in this strategy?

The debate will take place on September 9, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., in the Coppe auditorium, room G-122.

Register: Sympla – Why hasn’t Brazil yet tapped into the potential of reversible hydroelectric plants?