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• This study shows the technical and economic viability of CAES using Ethanol. • The CAES system was planned to be implemented in abandoned mines. • Geological characteristics, wind speed and thermodynamic aspects was analysed. This paper shows the results of a study that sought to verify the technical and economic viability of implanting a Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) energy system that operated connected to a wind farm, in such a way as to guarantee supply even in parts of the day with low wind intensity. Because this study sought implement this system in a state located in the inland of Brazil where there were no mining caverns capable of storing the compressed air, we opted for using abandoned mines that could serve this function. However, it was difficult to find a location with an abandoned mine for storing compressed air, and a location with good air flow for energy generation, and so the endeavor was ultimately economically unviable. This study shows the geological characteristics of the state, the locations of the main wind flow areas, and the thermodynamic and energy calculations required for sizing and specifying the components for the project and gives an economic analysis of the endeavor. Contrary to initial hypothesis, it was not found any favorable sites in the state of Minas Gerais fort storing compressed air generated from wind energy. Furthermore, the cost analysis showed that this type of endeavor needs policies to gain scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Solar and wind resources have a relevant temporal complementarity in the Brazilian NE. • Energy mix 40% wind and 60% solar requires minimal storage capacity to supply Brazilian NE load. • Role of storage in reducing the transmission infrastructure needs for renewable energy is evaluated. • Storage increases dispatchability of utility-scale wind and solar power plants. • _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Solar and wind sources together provided more than half of the Brazilian Northeast electricity generation in 2019. This growing share of renewable energies in the Brazilian energy matrix increases the importance of portfolio optimization and the energy storage management. This paper assesses the complementary nature between wind and photovoltaic generation in the Brazilian Northeast, and how this complementarity, together with energy storage, can reduce the shortcomings that the corresponding natural resource intermittency imposes on these sources. The work consists of two main analyses: (i) analysis of the capability in supplying the Brazillian Northeast region power demand with a hybrid wind + solar + storage power plant; and (ii) contingency optimization analysis for hybrid wind + solar + storage power plants. The results show that wind and solar resources are consistently complementary in the region, with a daily Pearson's Correlation Coefficient of −0.51. Also, the load supply analysis shows that a renewable energy mix based on a 40% wind and 60% solar share would require the equivalent of only 6% of its annual generation in storage capacity. An energy curtailment analysis showed that the complementary nature of the wind and solar resources, together with energy storage, can lead to a reduction of up to 11% in transmission capacity demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]