Equinor’s First Hybrid Power Complex Starts Operations

Equinor and its Brazilian subsidiary Rio Energy have started commercial power production at the Serra da Babilônia Solar facility in Brazil. Strategically co-located with the existing Serra da Babilônia Wind, this represents the first hybrid asset in Equinor’s power portfolio, comprising 140 MW of solar and 223 MW of wind capacity.

Hybrid projects take advantage of the complementary nature of solar and wind resources, which generate power at different times of the day and throughout different seasons. This helps to reduce the intermittency associated with renewable power generation and enhance grid stability.

Further, Serra da Babilônia Solar leverages synergies from the operating wind facility by sharing existing infrastructure on site, and by achieving efficiencies during the operations and maintenance phase. This results in material cost savings for the hybrid complex compared to a standalone solar asset.

Accumulated annual production from Serra da Babilônia Solar is estimated at 236 GWh of power per year, which is equivalent to the consumption of 143,000 Brazilian households. The produced energy will be sold in the Brazilian power market by Equinor’s energy trading house, Danske Commodities.

“Brazil is a key area for Equinor’s long-term growth. Building on a solid portfolio of oil and natural gas,