A INOVAÇÃO INSANA da WEG Que Pode Substituir as Termelétricas Para Sempre

Summary

The video argues that battery storage could take over some of the work now done by Brazil’s thermoelectric plants—especially supplying electricity during the first hours of the evening peak—but is unlikely to replace them completely in the near term.

Why thermoelectric plants matter

• Solar and wind production varies with the weather and time of day, while electricity must be generated as it is consumed.
• Brazil’s demand often peaks after sunset, just as solar generation falls. Thermoelectric plants can be dispatched when needed and have therefore served as backup, including during the 2021 drought.
• The video says Brazil contracted about 16.7 GW of thermoelectric capacity in a 2023 auction, at an annual fixed cost of roughly R$9 billion.

Renewable energy is being wasted

• The narrator says that in 2023 Brazil curtailed about 20.6% of the solar and wind energy it could have generated.
• Since 2023, the subtitles report 48.7 TWh of wind and solar generation curtailed by the system operator. They describe a growing share of cuts as resulting from excess energy with nowhere to go, rather than solely from insufficient transmission capacity.
• The central proposal is to store surplus electricity instead of routinely reducing renewable output.

How battery storage works

A BESS (battery energy storage system) combines battery cells with inverters, transformers, and control software.

• It charges when renewable generation is abundant, such as around midday.
• It discharges when demand rises, such as during the evening peak.
• Unlike a thermoelectric plant, which may take minutes or longer to ramp up, a battery can respond in fractions of a second.
• The video says planned capacity auctions would pay batteries for making power available, not simply for the energy they deliver—similar to how reserve capacity is contracted from thermal plants.

WEG’s plans

• WEG grew from a motor factory founded in Jaraguá do Sul in 1961 by Werner Ricardo Voigt, Egon João da Silva, and Geraldo Werninghaus. The company’s name comes from their initials.
• The narrator says WEG already makes many components used in storage systems, including transformers, converters, and related electrical equipment.
• WEG announced a battery factory in Itajaí, Santa Catarina. The project’s investment reportedly rose from R$280 million to R$330 million, while planned capacity doubled from 2 GWh to 4 GWh per year. Production is expected to begin in the second half of 2027.
• WEG is also expanding generator manufacturing in North America, partly to serve data centers that need backup power. The video presents the battery and generator businesses as two answers to the same need: dependable power when the grid is under strain.

Battery auctions and market opportunity

• The video says Brazil scheduled its first capacity-reserve auctions specifically for batteries. One round requires a minimum level of domestic content, while another is open to international suppliers.
• Market estimates cited in the subtitles put the opportunity at around 8 GWh, or 2 GW delivered for four hours. The narrator says WEG director Harry Schmelzer Neto aims for the company to secure 2 GWh of contracts.
• The auctions could create a market for batteries, but projects will also face competition from lower-cost Chinese suppliers and practical questions about grid connection and cost allocation.

Example: Fernando de Noronha

• A project on Fernando de Noronha combines about 30,000 solar panels, 22 MW peak solar capacity, and a 49 MWh battery system.
• Solar power supplies the island during the day and charges the batteries for nighttime use.
• The diesel-based thermoelectric plant is expected to remain available as backup, illustrating that storage can reduce reliance on fuel without eliminating the need for dispatchable generation.

What batteries can—and cannot—replace

• The video cites a projection that Brazil will need more than 6 GW of storage by 2035.
• Batteries could cover some evening peak demand and provide very fast grid response, potentially reducing the need to run thermal plants for those functions.
• An auction battery is expected to supply power for about four hours before it needs recharging. A thermoelectric plant can continue generating as long as it has fuel.
• During prolonged periods of low rainfall and weak wind, batteries cannot create energy; they can only return energy stored earlier. The video therefore presents batteries and thermoelectric plants as complements for now, rather than direct replacements in every circumstance.

Speakers and sources mentioned

• Unnamed narrator/presenter: The only apparent speaker; there are no clearly identified interview segments in the subtitles.
• Minister of Mines and Energy: Referenced as describing the 2023 thermal-power auction as the largest of its kind.
• Harry Schmelzer Neto, WEG director: Cited on WEG’s desired battery-auction capacity.
• Organizations and companies cited: WEG; the Ministry of Mines and Energy; the national system operator; the energy research company; ANEEL; BNDES; XP analysts; Bradesco BBI; and Neoenergia, in connection with the Fernando de Noronha project.
• Audit body: An audit court is cited as challenging aspects of the thermal-power auction. The subtitles render its name as the “European Court of Auditors,” which may be an automatic-transcription or translation error.