Rafael Pagliarini

The next wave of renewables in Brazil will be driven by BESS. Whoever moves first to capture opportunities will set the pace; whoever delays will lose ground. What to focus your efforts on? Kehua Tech — recognized by CNESA as a leader in storage inverters in the Chinese market — highlights important factors. The increase in renewable sources (Solar and Wind) was one of the factors that helped drive the energy storage market to explode. According to studies by Greener, the demand for BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems) increased by 89% from 2023 to 2024, and the behind-the-meter storage market will require investments of around R$ 22,5 billion by 2030. But why is this happening? The answer lies in the instability of the Brazilian electrical grid, which causes millions of dollars in losses to companies and consumers. What is driving and enabling BESS installations in Brazil? According to the ONS (National Electric System Operator), the Brazilian grid faces growing challenges with the intermittency of renewables. In 2024, intermittent renewable energy generation (solar and wind) already represented 36% of the electricity matrix, and data shows that it could exceed 46% in 2029. The main factor driving the BESS market in Commercial & Industrial companies is reliability. In addition to reliability, which guarantees 'independence' from grid outages, factors such as financial savings via energy shift, reduced dependence on diesel (increasing sustainability), and services such as frequency and voltage regulation significantly increase the viability of projects. After all, what are the main factors for the viability of a BESS project and how can we analyze them? Energy backup: the main motivator to avoid losses In Brazil, grid reliability and stability is a chronic problem. Equipment stops working, products spoil, and operations are disrupted. Here, BESS shines as a backup solution, providing instant power without relying on the grid and maintaining critical operations during outages and even avoiding grid investments. Consider a dairy or juice industry: an interruption can cause coagulation or unwanted fermentation, resulting in thousands of dollars in losses. Another impactful scenario is in pharmaceutical clinics/laboratories. Temperature-sensitive vaccines can be destroyed in minutes without refrigeration, creating a public health risk. In the plastics industry, the problem is even more acute. Processes such as extrusion and injection molding depend on machines that cannot tolerate sudden interruptions. A power outage lasting seconds can solidify the plastic in the molds, causing damage to equipment and loss of raw materials. Some factories report losses of hundreds of thousands of reais in shutdowns lasting seconds. With BESS (properly deployed and designed), immediate backup keeps production flowing, avoiding these exorbitant costs. This applies to a variety of scenarios, such as frozen food companies, mining, agriculture, hospitals, and data centers. Energy Shift: Valuable Financial Savings While backup solves emergencies, energy shift (consumption decoupling) brings continuous gains in everyday life, having a very significant economic impact. An industry that operates 24/7 can store energy (off-peak) and use it during peak hours, avoiding tariff peaks and reducing the bill by more than 30% – depending on the delta (peak – off-peak), especially for companies connected to high and medium voltage (Group A). With a delta of R$1,20/kWh, a 241kWh BESS can generate annual savings of approximately R$100 for a Group A consumer. Additionally, BESS offers ancillary services such as frequency/voltage regulation, which can generate extra revenue – especially with the ongoing discussions inANEEL

Rafael Pagliarini

Published articles

BESS in Brazil: How to identify opportunities and choose the right equipment?

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