The World Cup enters its final stretch this week without the presence of the Brazilian national team, eliminated by Norway in the round of 16. Beyond the sporting frustration, Brazil's five matches also left significant impacts on the operation of the national electrical grid.
During the approximately ten hours that the team was on the field, the ONS (National Electric System Operator) restricted 50,4 GWh of renewable energy generation to maintain the balance between energy supply and consumption in the country.
The volume would be enough to simultaneously supply more than 40 million Brazilian homes for one hour or supply approximately 300 homes for a month, considering the typical consumption of an average household.
The data is part of a survey carried out by Canal Solar PRINCIPLES-BASED operational bulletins released by ONS during Brazil's campaign in the World Cup.
Decisive matches had the biggest cuts.
According to the operator, the largest volumes of renewable generation restrictions occurred precisely during the most crucial matches for the national team. Combined, the qualifying matches against Japan and Norway accounted for 37,9 GWh of cuts, equivalent to 75% of all restricted energy.
In the group stage, the impacts were significantly smaller. In the opening match, against... MoroccoThere was no need to restrict renewable energy generation. Already in the match against HaitiIn a match played at 21:30 PM on a Friday, the ONS cut approximately 5 GWh. In the confrontation with the ScotlandDuring a survey conducted at 19 PM on a Wednesday, the volume increased to 7,4 GWh.
In the round of 16, the need for cuts intensified. Against the JapanIn a match that started at 14 PM on a Monday (a period of high solar generation in the country), the operator restricted 15,1 GWh of renewable energy.
The largest volume, however, was recorded in the defeat against the NorwayPlayed starting at 17 PM on a Sunday, the match led to a cut of 22,8 GWh, accounting for more than 45% of all renewable generation restricted throughout the Brazilian national team's five games.
See below how the electrical system reacted in each of the Brazilian national team's matches at the World Cup:
Why were the cuts necessary?
According to the ONS (National System Operator), national team games usually cause abrupt changes in the routine of Brazilians. During the matches, a large part of commercial and productive activities is interrupted, commutes decrease, and energy consumption drops rapidly.
During halftime and after the final whistle, the load increases again within a few minutes, forming steep ramps of reduction and recovery in demand in the SIN (National Interconnected System).
When these fluctuations coincide with periods of high solar and wind power generation, especially during the day, the system may experience a momentary oversupply. In these cases, the ONS (National System Operator) determines a reduction in production from certain power plants to preserve the balance between generation and consumption.
According to the Operator, the strategy seeks to "ensure that intense load ramps are adequately accompanied by corresponding variations in generation and use of voltage control resources. The goal is to guarantee the least possible impact on the quality and security of the electricity supply in the SIN," it points out.
Although power cuts are considered necessary to ensure the system's security, the volume of restrictions recorded during the games only reinforces the challenges faced by the Brazilian electricity sector in absorbing the expansion of renewable sources, especially during periods of low demand and high solar and wind production.
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