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The use of renewable energy sources has become strategic in the production of electricity worldwide due to global efforts to increase energy efficiency and achieve a net zero carbon footprint. Hybrid systems can maximize stability and reduce costs by combining multiple energy sources. A conventional metric, such as the levelized cost of energy (LCOE), that is appropriate for assessing the cost-effectiveness of an option may not be appropriate when evaluating the economic feasibility of hybrid systems. This study proposes a stochastic discounted cash flow model (DCF) to assess the economic viability of a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) in Brazil. The objective is to determine the combinations that will provide the highest 50th percentile internal rate of return (IRR) and the lowest coefficient of variation (CV). Model variables include capital expenditures (CAPEX), operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, sectoral charges, taxes, and long-term energy production metrics. The results demonstrate that the synergies modeled contributed to the higher economic outcomes for the HRES obtained by combining both energy sources rather than opting for a stand-alone configuration. A wind-dominant combination of 60% wind was able to increase the 50th percentile of the IRR, while a solar-dominant combination of 65% solar minimized the CV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic feasibility analysis is essential in the decision-making process regarding investment in photovoltaic projects. Project profitability must be measured based not only on the costs and revenues, but also on the climatic particularities of the different locations. Therefore, performing simulations of technical and economic performance of photovoltaic models is fundamental. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze deterministic and stochastic models of investments in two types of photovoltaic systems, one incorporated into the enterprise's architecture (a BIPV system) and the other, a conventional one, in different Brazilian locations, covering the predominant climatic factors in the country. The methodological proposal consisted of choosing a city in Brazil with each predominant climate type and compiling its data on irradiation, monthly sunshine hours, and tariffs of the electric power concessionaire, to simulate the electrical generation performance of the proposed photovoltaic systems and their profitability. For the economic analysis, the cumulative probability of positive Net Present Value (NPV) returns was obtained through deterministic simulations in all municipalities. Only the municipality of Pau dos Ferros-RN was chosen to perform 10,000 stochastic simulations, and its cumulative probabilities of positive NPV returns were obtained. In both models of photovoltaic technology analyzed and simulation logics, 100% of the NPVs were positive, indicating profitable cash flows in all scenarios. However, some municipalities obtained better results than others when the climate types favored sunny weather. Moreover, although all cases returned positive NPVs, the conventional model proved to be more economically attractive than BIPV system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizations seek partnerships, fusions and acquisitions (F & A) in expected to obtain economies of scale and gain of synergy, scope and value creation or even at entry into new markets. Decided by acquisition or merger, it is necessary to carry out the evaluation of the enterprise. Business evaluation models and methodologies have been developed over time, with the assumptions and information arising from finance theory. The acquisitions of anonymous public companies are carried out through the public offering of shares (OPA). In Brazil, the OPA is disciplined by the Normative Instruction - in 361/2002 of the Securities and Securities, and must be accompanied by a company assessment report. This research through content analysis sought to evidence information about the company's history and vision, marketing market, criteria and assumptions of evaluation, discount rate, among others, constant in the evaluation reports. It was evidenced that the item that presented a higher amount of words and / or data set was market and industry. The supremacy of discounted cash flow methodology was found. In all reports was evidenced information about business knowledge and strategic analysis. The qualification of the evaluators presented the lower variability of information, indicating a certain standardization of these data. It can be considered that the information highlighted in the Lauds suprem the needs of information of users and can be a tool to minimize asymmetry of information and errors in Valuation. Although the quality of the information has not been evaluated, it can be inferred that a greater amount of data can offer larger informational content, thus giving more subsidy for decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main barriers to the development of energy efficiency (EE) projects in Brazil is the decision-makers' lack of knowledge about the risks of the projects. The Brazilian Government's Procedures of Energy Efficiency Program (PROPEE) is currently one of the main sources of funding for energy efficiency (EE) projects. The method for evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of projects presented in PROPEE applies the traditional discounted cash flow (DCF) methodology to calculate the net present value (NPV). The energy price used in this model is a fixed value calculated through the postponement of investments (cost of avoided demand) and/or reduction of operating expenses (avoided energy cost). The avoided costs for a given voltage level are incurred throughout the power system, upstream of the consumption unit (view of the electrical system's operator). The PROPEE's methodology, applied on a large scale in Brazil, does not consider some technical uncertainties present in EE projects, nor the market uncertainty regarding the fluctuation of the energy price paid by the consumer units. This paper evaluates the investment risk of EE projects (consumer's perspective) adopted by the Brazilian market, taking as example a large electricity consumer. A methodology is proposed, which, considering the technical and economic uncertainties, performs a more comprehensive and realistic analysis of the complex business scenario involving the EE projects. This case study considered the data collected by a team of independent engineers, for the first time in January 2009 and updated in January 2015, to assess the energy efficiency potential of a commercial consumer unit installed in the city of Rio de Janeiro and connected to the grid of local distribution level voltage 13.8 kV. This study demonstrates a model that made the risk management projects viable in energy efficiency demand-side management (DSM). However, it could also be applied in other markets as well. Understanding how the uncertainties affect decision-making in EE projects is essential for developing a more comprehensive outlook on constructive and regulatory perspective, contributing to the promotion of energy efficiency projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The processing of natural gas resources is a critical step for monetizing them. Its evaluation should deal with the volatility of prices of raw gas and natural gas liquids, the processing technology and the composition of the raw gas. This study combines different approaches – process engineering, probabilistic discounted cash flow (DCF), and market failure analysis – to evaluate the technical aspects, financial results and market barriers of natural gas processing. Two productive strategies are compared: fuels or petrochemicals. Brazil is used as a case study, since the country experienced a ramping production of associated rich gas from pre-salt basins and lacks the required gas processing capacity. Findings indicate that the processing plant designed with turboexpander was able to produce the required scale for the fuel and the petrochemical markets. The Petrochemical Strategy reached a higher average net present value (US$ 2448 millions) compared to the Fuel Strategy (US$ 2006 millions) in a 30-years DCF analysis, at a higher standard deviation, however. This highlights the importance of performing the stochastic NPV to deal with price volatilities. The Petrochemical Strategy is also challenged by market failures found in Brazil, while the Fuel Strategy has social and infrastructure advantages in a stablished domestic market. [Display omitted] • Two strategies for monetizing rich natural gas resources are compared: fuels and petrochemicals. • The method combines process engineering, probabilistic discounted cash flow and market analyses. • Both strategies proved to be feasible but petrochemicals reached a higher, although riskier, NPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The state of São Paulo offers ten potential scenarios for the establishment of biorefineries. • Eucalyptus residues are a promising feedstock that produces 71,000 tons of bio-oil/year. • The minimum selling price of bio-oil varies according to plant capacities between from $11.6 to 19.3/GJ. • The minimum selling price of bio-oil is particularly sensitive to plant capacity and yield. • Co-processing bio-oil with vacuum gasoil can contribute 3.4 % of total "green fuel" in Brazil. Forestry residue is potentially useful for obtaining bio-oil and its by-products (biochar, syngas, and acid-rich aqueous extract) via fast pyrolysis. As such, we carried out a techno-economic analysis of both the production of bio-oil from Eucalyptus grandis residues (ER) and their availability in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Discounted cash flow was used to calculate the minimum selling price (MSP) of bio-oil. Georeferencing identified the location of 20 Eucalyptus plantations, ten of which were selected due to their better economic performance. These ten plantations were potentially able to produce 59 million L/year of bio-oil. The economic analysis of the future biorefineries showed that an MSP of 11.6–19.3 $ (US)/GJ could support the processing of 60,000–5,000 tons/year of ER. A simulation of a large biorefinery revealed a capital investment (CAPEX) of around 6 M$ (US), reaching an operating expenditure peak of approximately 3 M$/year. The sensitivity analysis identified that plant capacity had the most significant impact on MSP, while the by-products (acid extract and biochar) lowered this by 22 %. The large biorefinery simulated using the Monte Carlo method had an 80 % chance of reaching a net present value (NPV) > 0, and an 80 % probability of reaching an internal rate of return (IRR) > 10 %. This study demonstrated that the production of bio-oils by the ten simulated centralized biorefineries is economically viable based on the NPV and IRR indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electricity market in Brazil is basically organized under two parts: the regulated market, where energy is traded through auctions, and the free market, where market participants freely negotiate the price and quantity of electricity. Although revenues obtained in the regulated market tend to be lower than in the free market, the auctions' results show that investors still value the lesser degree of uncertainty associated with the regulated market. However, a growing interest in the free market by investors is recognized since the price of electricity tends to be higher. Therefore, this study investigates four free market price scenarios to assess the expected return for investors, using the traditional discounted cash flow approach complemented with Monte Carlo simulation to address market uncertainty. The study breaks new ground by capturing the weekly price fluctuations and including the price elasticity of demand of the free market. The results seem to indicate that the disclosure of the ceiling and floor price limits for the spot price can signal important information about the agents' price expectation in the free market and can be used for investment project evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]