PVTIME – Norwegian energy firm Equinor and its Brazilian subsidiary, Rio Energy, have launched their first solar-wind hybrid project in Serra da Babilônia, Brazil, marking a key milestone in the company’s expansion into renewable energy in South America.
The facility, which is set to be commissioned at the end of 2025 following the start of construction in September 2024, combines a new 140MW solar plant with the existing 223MW Serra da Babilônia wind farm, which has been operational since 2018. The temporal complementarity of solar and wind power enables stable, continuous output, with solar generation by day and wind energy at night and across seasons, thus addressing the volatility of single renewable sources.
The solar plant will share the wind farm’s existing infrastructure, including transmission lines and maintenance facilities, which will significantly reduce construction and operational costs. The facility is expected to generate 236GWh of electricity annually, enough to power around 143,000 Brazilian households, with all of the electricity to be supplied to the domestic market via Equinor’s energy trading arm, Danske Commodities.
This project will increase Equinor’s total installed renewable capacity in Brazil to around 600MW, strengthening its position in the local market. The project also aligns with Brazil’s rapidly growing renewable sector, with the north-east of the country having emerged as its fastest-expanding region for new energy installations, with over 140,000 solar systems added in the first three quarters of 2025.
Commissioning this project does not alter Equinor’s transformation strategy, announced earlier this year, which prioritises investment returns and shareholder value over installed capacity growth by slowing renewable expansion. Industry analysts highlight the hybrid project’s technological synergy and cost advantages, viewing it as a replicable example of the company’s value-first approach.
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