Brazil expands use of renewable energies, says study – 05/18/2023 – Market

The growing production of wind and solar energy in Brazil allowed the country to reduce the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity in February to the lowest level in a decade, according to a study released this Thursday (18).

The vast electrical energy network in Brazil used 4.9% of fossil fuels in February this year, a result that was below 5% for the first time in a month since July 2012, says in its analysis the Ember study center, which promotes the use of clean energy.

In the first quarter of the year, polluting sources generated 5.4% of electricity, against 10% in the same period of 2022.

As a result, the sector’s CO2 emissions dropped by 29% over the same period, despite the increase in electricity generation.

Wind and solar parks, which represent only 12% and 3%, respectively, of Brazil’s energy matrix, have made it possible to reduce polluting sources.

The country has a huge hydroelectric network. The good conditions of the reservoirs, thanks to the heavy rains, help to keep the fossil sources under control.

With 63% of the energy matrix, the hydroelectric grid “continues to be the backbone of the system”, the author of the study, Matt Ewen, told AFP.

In the last decade, however, hydroelectric plants lost performance, falling from 59% in 2011 to 38% in 2021, and did not increase electricity generation, while demand continued to grow.

On the other hand, energy generation by wind turbines has increased by 36% since 2011 and by solar by 26%. Combined, the two have accounted for 73% of demand growth since then.

The development of wind and solar energy will be crucial if Brazil is to move away from fossil fuels in the future, Ewen said.

Renewable sources will play an important role in the future energy generation mix, together with hydroelectric power. However, they will have to grow a lot to meet the country’s future demands, he added.

Brazil, which will assume the presidency of the G20 in 2024, has the highest percentage of clean electricity in the group, according to another analysis by the Ember study center, which is headquartered in the United Kingdom.

In 2022, the country generated 89% of its electricity from clean sources. The share of fossil fuels reached 11%, mainly gas.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who took office in January, promised to increase the percentage of clean energy and regain the country’s leadership on the climate issue, after four years of scientific denialism during the government of Jair Bolsonaro.