Brazil energy security relies on clean sources, gov’t says
Securing energy and fuel supplies and affordable costs is directly linked to the expansion of clean sources, like wind and solar energy, biomass, and biofuels, Brazilian Mines and Energy Minister Moreira Franco told journalists from Empresa Brasil de Comunicação Tuesday (Aug. 13), in an exclusive interview on the country’s energy landscape.
“We have some key initiatives, like the internationally acknowledged program Renovabio [national biofuel policy], with rather ambitious goals. We’re working to guarantee clean energy, which means starting to eliminate polluting sources that have brought about significant environmental harm,” Franco declared.
Renovabio’s mains goal, introduced this year, is to reduce carbon emissions in the country’s fuel network by ten percent—the equivalent of 600 million tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by 2028. This is expected to boost the Brazilian market for ethanol and biodiesel.
As for the electric energy field, Moreira Franco says Brazil can no longer rely so heavily on its hydroelectric plants—which add up to over 63 percent of the country’s total power generation capacity. “After the decisions stemming from a more environment-centered view, reservoirs [at hydroelectric plants] are forbidden; you work with the waterline. This has come to represent a weakness [in this model],” the minister pointed out.
The main challenge today, he argued, lies in incorporating clean energy sources into energy distribution, which makes an impact on price reduction.
“[Clean energy] production costs are considerably lower than other sources, but this price must make itself felt by consumers in their pockets. The system is still not capable of absorbing this difference and energy is provided at a very high cost. In addition to bringing clean energy and securing a robust system, we need to have energy at a fair price,” Franco went on to say.
He also stressed the need for eliminating subsidies paid by consumers as part of their energy bill to finance public policies utterly unrelated to the electric sector.
Brazil ranks first in Latin America
In 2017, bioenergy represented 42.1 percent of consumption in Brazil, compared to global average of 7.6 percent. In transportation, the rate stood at 19.8 percent in Brazil against three percent globally. In the forecasts calculated by the Brazilian government, the targets under Renovabio for 2028 will lead to investment totaling $330 million in the coming decade.
Chief among the achievements in electric energy is the increased supply of wind energy—now 8.5 percent of the energy available in the country. Along with France and Canada, Brazil currently shares the seventh place among nations investing in this type of energy. “We’re the biggest producers of wind energy in Latin America, with 520 farms and over 6.6 thousand turbines in operation. Last year, the amount generated by wind turbines amounted to the average consumption of 22 million households. Direct jobs generated in the sector adds up to over 150 thousand,” the Brazilian minister reported last week, during the 9th edition of the Brazil Wind Power, the biggest event in the South Hemisphere on the topic.
In terms of installed capacity, wind energy amounts to 30 percent of constructed enterprises and 27 percent of enterprises yet to begin, official figures reveal. Brazil has also expanded its potential for solar photovoltaic energy. Under Brazil’s Decennial Energy Expansion Plan, the country’s installed capacity for solar energy is to reach 13,000 MW—5.7 percent of the total power generated in Brazil.
“Not just for the environmental issue, but also, and above all, for our chance to explore these alternatives through technology. Energy will become more and more important. From now on, no one will be able to live without a power outlet nearby—even for going from one place to another, in major cities, with electric cars,” Franco remarked.
