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Offshore Wind Power Can Drive Brazil Towards a Sustainable Future. This Source of Offshore Energy Could Bring 700 GW of Installed Capacity to the Country.
The world ended the last year with an installed capacity of 57.2 GW of offshore wind energy, and Brazil still does not have such projects in operation. However, it is only a matter of time before projects emerge that keep the country among the cleanest electricity matrices in the world, moving towards a low-carbon economy.
National Offshore Wind Energy Could Exceed 700 GW
The sector had 2021 as its best year in history, with 2.1 GW added to the grid, three times more compared to 2020. Only China was responsible for 80% of this expansion. However, the potential of Brazilian offshore wind energy for power generation could exceed 700 GW, according to the Energy Research Company (EPE).
From the northeast to the south, offshore energy projects are being planned along almost the entire national coast. At this moment, there are over 170 GW of offshore wind energy projects under analysis at Ibama. For comparison, this is almost the entire installed capacity the country has to meet its energy demands.
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Brazilian scientists are simultaneously advancing two research projects on clean hydrogen and driving solutions that could transform the energy matrix, enhance industrial competitiveness, and accelerate large-scale emission reduction targets.
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Advancement in renewable energy: A R$ 150 million project launched by Petrobras and Finep aims to create state-of-the-art electrolyzers for green hydrogen, strengthening national research and preparing Brazil to compete in a billion-dollar energy market.
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Illiterate or semi-literate grandmothers were trained to repair solar systems, open rural workshops, and light up homes that still depended on kerosene.
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The world has bet on green hydrogen as the fuel of the future, but now faces the side effect: producing 1 kilogram requires about 9 liters of ultrapure water, and the largest projects on the planet are precisely in the driest regions of the Earth, where water is already scarce for people.
The Brazilian Wind Energy Association (Abeeólica) is eager for the regulatory guidelines for offshore energy procurement to be released. According to Elbia Gannoum, the association’s executive president, it actively contributes to the economic and regulatory structuring to attract investments and believes that next year it will be possible to hold the first auction.
Companies Are Eyeing Brazil for Offshore Wind Energy Market Expansion
Investors in the offshore energy generation sector range from traditional companies in the field to large oil companies looking to meet energy transition demands and diversify their businesses.
Companies such as Equinor, Neoenergia, Shell, Ocean Wind, and many others have offshore wind energy projects. Vestas, a company that produces wind turbines, is motivated by the sector and set records in Brazil with the installation of 2 GW of turbine deliveries onshore.
The company claims to see the offshore energy market as a new business front in Brazil and is already preparing to meet future demands.
Offshore Wind Energy Can Impact Biodiversity
All this potential from offshore energy comes with a warning, considering that projects of this kind are not fully understood and can impact marine biodiversity and economic activities such as fishing.
According to Nicole Oliveira, executive director of the International Arayara Institute, there needs to be rigor and seriousness in environmental impact studies and social leadership in decision-making, considering that it is a recent technology in Brazil.
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