Brazil
currently has one of the cleanest energy matrix in the world with 77% of
all electricity supply coming from renewable energy sources, where 62% of all
electricity supply coming from hydro power.
However, currently Brazil is experiencing their worst drought since 1930 and
going through the water crises, which put in danger the generation of
electricity from hydro. This and many other factors are pushing the government
toward the diversification and increasing of investment in the development of
new green technologies.
Total energy consumption by type in
Brazil
Source:
ANEEL banc of information on generation, actualised on 28/01/2015
Accordingly to the
IRENA country profiles the targets in Brazil were set to achieve
In
addition it has plenty of new energy resources to develop. Apart from huge
deposits of offshore oil, gas and hydro power, it disposes huge potential for
solar and wind energy. The world’s largest sugarcane crop provides bagasse, a
fibrous residue which burns in high-pressure boilers. The country may also have
shale gas (the Economist, 2013).
Accordingly
to the IRENA country profiles the targets in Brazil were set to achieve
increase by 16% of electricity generation from renewables (except hydro power)
by 2020:
·
16% of electricity generation from
renewables (excluding large hydro) by 2020
·
11.5 GW of wind capacity by 2020
·
9.2 GW of biomass-fired capacity by 2020
·
6.4 GW of small hydro capacity by 2020
Nowadays
small hydro stations generates already 4.7 GW and 2.3 GW are planning or under
construction. Wind energy accounts for 5GW in operation and 10.2 GW planning or
under construction. Solar energy however hangs behind with 20 MW in operation
and 50 MW planned (ANEEL data, 2015).
In
2012 ANEEL (National Energy Agency) established the normative resolution NÂș 482, which represents the
general conditions for net-metering system for mini and micro electricity
generation. The idea of this system is to enable the distribution and use of
self-generated energy, e.g. when the electricity generation system produces
more electricity than current electricity consumption, the surplus is injected
in the electricity network which could be used later when the consumption is
higher than generation. Thus houses and small commerce
could generate their own electricity and get the credit for this generation to
use it after when they need the energy from the greed.
Brazil
has the experience of organising the “solar only” energy auction, firstly made
for Pernambuco region and in 30 October 2014 for the Federal Reserve energy. (EPE,
2014). However, the initial price was very low for current electricity
companies, which was set in average at R$228.63/MWh (ibid).
Brazil
currently has no solar feed-in tariffs policy, while this policy could help as
well solar energy to reduce its cost. From 2002-2006 due to help of feed-in
tariffs integrated in the programme “PROINFA“, the cost of wind energy dropped
from $150 per MWh to $53 per MWh in 2011 auctions (Chadha M., 2014).
Despite
high costs of solar energy Brazilian government decided to support its use for
certain social projects. There are several joint projects between electricity
distribution companies and institutions for electrification of rural regions.
The Program “Light for all” (“Programa Luz para Todos”) was implemented in
Minas Gerais by Electricity Company CEMIG, which installed photovoltaic systems
for 285 000 consumers in rural areas from 2004 till 2011, the same program
substitute Sunlight Program (“Programa Luz Solar”) in the Northeast Region and
the National Program for Rural Electrification.
Moreover,
some states introduced the tax incentives for solar energy. According to the
Agreement ICMS 75/11 (Tax on Circulation of Services and Goods) solar modules
become a tax exemption on ICMS that exclude the double taxation of consumer. In
addition, Brazilian government together with Germany started the researches in
new solar energy technology as concentrated solar power (CSP) and plan to
construct the first CSP plant in Petrolina (Schlipf, 2014).
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