“Our power system is complex, it has always been, but now [with renewables] it is becoming even more complex,” said Amilcar Guerreiro, studies director at the Brazilian federal energy planning authority EPE.

The issue was discussed at a seminar this week in the city of São Paulo, promoted by the São Paulo Federation of Industries (Fiesp).

Brazil has a power system that relies on a 130,000km transmission network that traditionally has taken power from large hydro-dams to major urban regions thousands of kilometres away, such as the 12GW Itaipu in the extreme south and the 8.5GW