The man behind him, Renova Energia’s Ney Maron, replies into his headset with a smile: “That’s why we have chosen this place.”

Here at Renova’s Alto Sertão complex in Bahia, Brazil, the winds are amazingly strong and consistent, blowing in from the east at an average eight metres per second, with a daily lull from around 11am to 4pm that makes it safe enough to fly a helicopter — or install a turbine.

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