WORLD STUDENT ENVIRONMENTAL SUMMIT 3rt Assignment: Energy Mix and Renewable Energies - BRAZIL Carolina Yume Sawamura Theophilo Pilar Carolina Villar Lainé Maria Daniela de Araújo Vianna Rafaela Andrade BRAZIL Brazil has one of the cleanest energy matrices in the world; of all energy consumed in the country, 47.2% comes from renewable sources such as hydroelectric power and biomass fuel. Brazil covers an area totaling 8.5 million km² and has a population of 191.5 million people, the large majority of whom is concentrated in large urban centers. Domestic energy supply is 243.7 million tons of equivalent petroleum (tep) reflecting 1.27 tep per capita, 2,641 kWh/inhabitant and 2% of energy worldwide. Electric power consumption in 2009 in Brazil was 426.1 TWh.
RENEWABLE: Brazil: 47.2% OECD: 7.2% World: 12.7%
243.7 million tep (2% of world energy)
BIOMASS 32.0%
PETROLEUM & BY-PRODUCTS 37.9%
HIDRAULIC & ELETRICITY 15.2%
NATURAL GAS 8.8% URANIUM 1.4%
COAL
Biomass: Wood: 10.1% Sugar cane products: 18.0% Other: 3.8%
4.8%
The substantial share of hydraulic energy and extensive use of biomass in the Brazilian energy matrix result in CO2 emissions indices that are far lower than the world average and that of developed countries. In Brazil emissions owed to the use of energy totaled 1.4 ton of CO2 per tep of the DES (Domestic Energy Supply), while in other OECD countries, this index was 2.37 tCO2/tep of the DES (2007 data) while it was 2.41 tCO2/tep (2007)worldwide. The following sectors are among the leading final energy consumers in Brazil: industry (34.7%), transportation (28.4%), power (10.8%) and other (19.3%). The country in today’s overall analysis is still a commodities producer in relation to the other countries in the world.
Metallurgy, mining, pulp and paper and sugar which comprise sectors offering lower salaries and employment levels, are responsible for 62.7% of all energy consumed in the industrial sector. Even in the power industry (energy sector) there was transfer to countries in development. Among OECD countries, the power sector retracted from 1973 to date, while it increased in Brazil for example. The power industry is also energy consumption and capital intensive. The substantial increase in production of ethanol is the major driver behind the expanded share of the sector in the breakdown of energy consumption. Power industry energy consumption, which in 1973 was 3.3% of the total equaled 10.8% in 2009.
BIOMASS Although Brazil has a cleaner cleanest energy matrix than European nations and that of the United States, 37.9% of all energy consumed is still derived from oil and by‐products. This is owed mainly to the leading mode of transportation in the country, which regardless of whether it is to transport people or cargo, is still roadway. The Brazilian government, in this regard has encouraged diversification of the energy matrix in the country, based on a review of the regulations and creation of renewable energy incentive programs such as the production of biodiesel and ethanol made from sugar cane to replace the use of petroleum by‐products in the nation’s fleet of automobiles. The government has also encouraged the manufacture and purchase of Flex fuel engine cars that can be run on ethanol or gasoline by extending tax reductions. The results of this combined policy have been remarkable. Of all passenger cars sold in 2009, 97% had Flex engines. In 1973, 98.9% of the transportation energy matrix (19 million tons of equivalent petroleum) comprised petroleum by‐products. Despite advances, in 2009, this percentage was still 78% of the 63 million tep, although bioenergy (ethanol and biodiesel) already represent 18.8% of the matrix and natural gas another 3%. Ethanol production in 2009 was 26.1 million m³, depicting a retraction of 3.8% compared to 2008 production. Roadway consumption grew 7.1% and exports declined 36%. Total biomass supply in 2009, was 77.9 million tep, an amount equal to 31.9% of the Brazilian energy matrix. Sugar cane products (bagasse and ethanol) at 44 million tep, accounted for 56.4% of biomass and for 18% of the total energy supply matrix. Wood at 24.6 million tep accounted for 31.6% of biomass and 10.1% of the matrix. Other biomass fuels (lixivium, wood and agro‐industrial waste and biodiesel) totaled 9.3 million tep and reflected 12% of biomass and 3.8% of the matrix. Biomass also includes eolic (wind) energy generation which surpassed 1.183 GWh in 2008 increasing to 1,238 GWh in 2009, reflecting a small increase of 4.7%, despite the enormous potential Brazil has for production of this type of energy. BIODIESEL The Brazilian Biodiesel Production and Use Program (PNPB) was established for the purpose of sustainably implementing production of biodiesel, a biodegradable fuel derived from renewable sources such as vegetable oils and animal fat, which stimulated by a catalyst react chemically to ethanol or methanol. Biodiesel would fully or partially replace diesel from
petroleum in cycle‐diesel small and large trucks, tractors, passenger cars and be used to generate energy and heat. This would result in economic, social and environmental gains, the so‐called triple bottom line. Some of the main program guidelines are: promotion of social inclusion, guaranteed competitive prices, quality and supply, production of biodiesel in different regions of the country using a number of oleaginous sources (castor beans, African oil palm, sunflower seeds, babassu palm, soybeans and cotton seeds, to name a few). The legal basis for the Program is Law 11.097/05, which provides for the mandatory addition of a minimum percentage of biodiesel to diesel oil sold to the consumer anywhere within Brazilian territory. This mandatory percentage would be 5% by 2013. The current mandatory percentage is 2%. Biodiesel production on a commercial scale is already on stream and generating savings for the country by reducing petroleum diesel fuel imports, providing environmental gains, by reducing Greenhouse Effect gas emissions and promoting social inclusion, based on the organization of the productive chain in the field and credit lines for crop planting. In 2009, biodiesel production was 1,608,000 m³ representing growth of 38% compared to 2008 and equal to a 3.7% mixture in diesel. Biodiesel among other biomass fuels stands for 14.7% and .6% of the matrix. Brazil currently imports 10% of diesel consumed. It is, owed to use in passenger and cargo transportation the most highly used fuel in the country and accounts for 57.7% of liquid fuels, resulting in annual consumption of roughly 38.2 billion liters. In 2009, Brazil substantially reduced its level of dependence on outside sources of energy from over 20 million tep recorded in the last few years to a little over 10 million tep, or an amount equal to 4.2% of total energy demands. Liquid oil and by‐product exports of approximately 150,000 bep/ were responsible for this reduction. Source: Ministério de Minas e Energia – Brasil (Brazilian Mines and Energy Ministry) Ethanol: the most important source renewable energy to generate fuel in Brazil Currently in Brazil, the most important source renewable energy is biomass which represents 32% of the domestic energy supply. This is especially due to the big potential of the land and for its size, beyond favorable climatic factors, which is extremely relevant. These are some reasons to this cleaner technology takes place in the energetic matrix of the country, but it has not being produced in an environmentally‐friendly manner yet. Biomass has provided the ethanol producing from sugar cane and this production has grown, especially because of financial incentive and its consumption increase. Unfortunately, the cane straw burning has still a significant number on large plantations, what generates greenhouse gases and prejudicing air region. Besides, it creates dryness because of the vegetation absence. Nowadays, mechanized harvesting has been increased, which involves not just an environmental question, but a social too, because of cane cutters, who need their jobs in order to support their families. Accordingly, social policies must be created to solve this problem and Brazil is still too deficient in this respect.
On the other hand, in big cities the consequences are very different. Ethanol is an alternative fuel that doesn’t attack so much compared to gasoline, what encourages the use of private transport at the expense of investment in public transport systems, and makes the government does not feel compelled to expand its energy alternatives, like solar energy and wind power. These two have a great potential in Brazil especially for its climate characteristics. The big challenge is to modernize the biomass technology, investing in other energy alternatives at the same time, beyond thinking in another means of transportation that are less aggressive to the environment.