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Brazil drives the expansion of renewable energy with record investment and the inauguration of a complex in Paraíba.
Only in 2023, o federal government plan to spend a total of $ 50 billion in various forms of renewable energy. Most of the investments will be in the production of wind and solar energy, in the development of renewable energy sources. After the completion of the investment plan, Brazil should have a 1% increase in renewable energy generation in proportion to the total energy produced in the country, rising from the current 85% to 86% of the total energy generated.
The extension of the transmission system, which will be carried out by National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel), will use the resources that will be used in the expansion. It is anticipated that around 14.000 kilometers of new transmission lines will be built, representing an 8% increase in the total length of lines in the country, along with thirteen new substations.
Most of this investment will be made in the Northeast with the aim of taking advantage of the region's capacity to generate renewable energy (wind and solar) and selling the region's excess production to customers in the Southeast and Midwest.
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This year there needs to be two different auctions. The winning ventures will be required to fulfill their contractual obligations to carry out the works within a period that can vary from 36 to 72 months, depending on the degree of difficulty of the project, as well as the duty to keep the operation running for a period of 30 years.
Brazil's power generation capacity
Currently, the power generation capacity of the electrical system in Brazil is 211 gigawatts (GW). This sum takes into account all the accumulated capacity available for energy production in Brazil. It really boils down to how much energy the nation is capable of producing.
Inauguration of the Renewable Complex in Paraíba
O Neoenergia Renewable Complex was officially inaugurated in Paraíba in March, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) was there to participate in the festivities. Construction of the park began in 2019, and it opened to the public for business in early 2022. The occasion marked the beginning of the solar and wind parks at the complex's entry into operation, making it a pioneer in the country in terms of this form of combined energy production.
Capacity and impact of the complex
The complex comprises more than 15 wind farms, 136 wind turbines (electric generators incorporated into the shaft of a weather vane) and has a capacity of 621 megawatts of installed electricity, of which 471 megawatts are derived from wind sources and 150 are derived from solar sources. The energy produced is enough to supply the lighting of an average of more than one million homes. The projection is that it will be able to serve a state like Sergipe, even considering only the residential load.
According to the ministry, these 621 megawatts (MW) of installed power could represent an estimated electricity generation of 2.030 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in the year, which represents approximately 60% of electricity generation in Paraíba in 2021 and a higher value than the generation in the states of Acre and Roraima and the Federal District combined in the same year.
Environmental and social benefits
The government says that, in addition to socially improving the area, the complex will be a decarbonization agent for the country, with the forecast of eliminating 125,5 tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year. This adds to the government's assertion that the complex would contribute to the social development of the region. The national goal is to reduce carbon emissions by fifty percent by the year 2030.
Petrobras and the energy transition
The executive board of Petrobras gave its approval to the installation of the Board of Energy Transition and Renewable Energy on Thursday (06) of the previous week. There is still no deadline for the corporation's board of directors to vote on the organizational adjustment plan that includes the measure. The proposal, however, needs your approval.
The new board will be responsible for decarbonisation, climate change, new technologies and sustainability activities, and will also embrace commercial natural gas projects. Mauricio Tolmasquim, production engineer and professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), will be responsible for the region. Tolmasquim was also involved in the most recent change between administrations.
Economic impact of the energy transition
According to research published by the natural resources consultancy Wood Mackenzie the previous year, the transition to cleaner forms of energy, necessary to slow the pace of rising temperatures, could reduce the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2% by the year 2050, although the loss could be recovered by the turn of the century.
According to the report titled “No Pain, No Gain: The Economic Consequences of Accelerating the Energy Transition,” the transition is likely to cause lost jobs and tax revenues in fossil fuel production. While investments in technologies such as solar energy, wind farms and advanced batteries will create jobs, the transition will likely also cause the loss of jobs in fossil fuel production.
