Energy in Brazil: Towards a Renewable Energy Dominated System

Contents......Page 6
List of Figures and Tables......Page 8
Acknowledgements......Page 10
Foreword......Page 12
Preface......Page 14
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations......Page 18
Brazil before 1900......Page 26
Brazil in 1900......Page 27
Hydroelectric power makes its entrance......Page 29
Industrialization, the FirstWorldWar and the financial crisis of 1929......Page 31
A liberal policy and nationalistic demonstrations......Page 32
The 1930 Revolution and political, economic and energy policies......Page 33
Political reform, the atomic bomb and an oil monopoly......Page 35
An era of development......Page 36
Temporary political upheaval......Page 38
Military governments, institutional and economic reform......Page 39
Inadequate oil prospecting......Page 40
Itaipu Binational hydroelectric plant......Page 41
Response to the oil crises of 1974 and 1979......Page 42
Political opening, the 1988 Constitution and macroeconomic deterioration......Page 43
Reorganizing the state......Page 45
Calm transition in 2002–03 and intrinsic contradiction of the new government......Page 48
The concentrated geography......Page 51
A retrospective of Brazil’s economic development......Page 54
The years of sustained economic growth until 1980......Page 56
The troubled years from 1980 to 1994......Page 57
In search of a new strategy, from 1995......Page 58
The foreign scene......Page 59
Sources of primary energy up to 1970......Page 60
Energy balance since 1970......Page 61
Renewable energy in Brazil and worldwide......Page 63
Total energy consumption......Page 65
Dependence on foreign energy......Page 66
Construction of the hydro-based system......Page 68
Methods of optimization......Page 70
Evolution of mathematical models......Page 72
The role of thermal plants in Brazil......Page 74
The electric power sector under discussion......Page 75
First steps towards reform......Page 76
First stage of the 1995 reorganization of the electric power sector......Page 77
Privatization......Page 78
Establishing a competitive market......Page 80
National system operator......Page 81
The market price issue......Page 82
Organizational changes in 1999 – ELETROBRÁS......Page 83
Auctions for hydroelectric plants and transmission lines......Page 84
Implementation of an electric power model with high hydrological risks......Page 86
Market crisis and its financial consequences......Page 87
The 2003 debate on the electric power sector......Page 88
Essence of the approved reform of 2004......Page 90
Implementation of the transmission model......Page 92
Implementation of the generation model......Page 94
Transformation and strengthening of ELETROBRÁS......Page 98
Tax on electric power......Page 99
Expansion of the electric power system......Page 100
Notes......Page 101
Investments and success in oil exploration......Page 102
Dependence on foreign oil and oil products......Page 105
An opening (1995) in the oil and gas sector......Page 107
Execution of the privatization programme of PETROBRAS......Page 108
Auction of oil exploration areas......Page 109
Oil exploration successes in deep waters increase......Page 111
The entry of natural gas – a brief history......Page 114
Urucu gas in the Amazon region......Page 115
Brazil–Bolivia natural gas agreement......Page 116
Introduction of the gas programme......Page 118
Natural gas within the energy matrix......Page 119
The adventure of gas-fired thermoelectric plants......Page 121
Entry of PETROBRAS into the field of electric power generation......Page 122
Price of gas and exchange rate......Page 123
The tangled knot of natural gas......Page 125
Regulating the natural-gas market......Page 126
Domestic coal-fired thermoelectrical plants......Page 128
Notes......Page 129
Brazil enters the nuclear era......Page 132
The first nuclear plant......Page 133
Gigantic nuclear plant programme in 1974......Page 135
Angra II and Angra III nuclear plants......Page 136
Institutional dispositions......Page 138
Professional and technological qualifications......Page 139
Intensification of prospecting for nuclear minerals......Page 140
The nuclear fuel cycle......Page 142
Uranium enrichment, fuel reprocessing and the TNP......Page 144
Notes......Page 146
Ethanol as an automotive fuel......Page 148
The Pro-Álcool programme......Page 149
Adaptation of vehicle engines......Page 150
The sugar cane agribusiness......Page 152
Controversies regarding energy efficiency and price of ethanol......Page 154
Prospects of technical progress......Page 156
Sugar cane expansion – Requirements and possibilities......Page 157
Biomass – Firewood and charcoal......Page 158
Reforestation......Page 161
Bio-diesel enters the energy scenario......Page 163
Bio-diesel production......Page 164
Brazil’s bio-diesel programme......Page 165
Urban waste dumps......Page 168
Occupation of Brazil’s vast geographic territory......Page 169
Crops for energy purposes......Page 171
Repercussions of extended plantations in the Amazon region......Page 174
The size of the hydroelectric reservoirs......Page 176
Brazil endeavours to control incursion into the Amazon region......Page 177
Confirmation of deforestation......Page 179
Various perceptions of the Amazon region......Page 180
Notes......Page 183
Diversity of alternative energy......Page 184
Wind energy......Page 185
Solar energy for generating electricity......Page 187
The PROINFA programme......Page 189
Solar energy for water heating......Page 191
Fuel cells and the economic utilization of hydrogen......Page 193
Notes......Page 194
Main environmental concern......Page 196
Climate change......Page 198
Reports of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change......Page 199
Clean Development Mechanism......Page 200
Water......Page 201
The bases of Brazil’s institutional framework......Page 202
Building the environment’s institutional framework......Page 204
National Water Agency......Page 205
Environmental licensing......Page 206
Hydroelectric plants and the environment......Page 207
Licensing of hydroelectric plants......Page 208
Efficiency in energy production and use......Page 210
Initiatives for promoting efficiency in Brazil......Page 212
Efficient use of electricity......Page 213
Quality of electricity......Page 216
Energy efficiency in the transport system......Page 217
Progress in automotive vehicles......Page 218
New technologies in motorway transport......Page 220
Improvement of external combustion installations......Page 222
Notes......Page 223
Population, economy and energy trends......Page 226
Speculations concerning the future world energy balance......Page 229
World prospects from an energy point of view......Page 231
World prospects from an environmentalist point of view......Page 234
The outlook for energy in Brazil......Page 236
Decennial energy expansion plan 2007–16......Page 237
Projections for electricity demand with emphasis on conservation......Page 241
PETROBRAS plans and oil prospects......Page 242
Notes......Page 245
Looking Forward......Page 246
Appendix 1 Brazil in Maps......Page 252
Appendix 2 List of Main Sources of Information in Brazil......Page 260
Appendix 3 Brazilian Exchange Rate 1995–2007......Page 264
Index......Page 266