Brazil increases clean energy production in the first four months of 2022

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil increased clean energy production and reduced that of plants considered to be more polluting in the first four months of 2022. The Chamber of Commercialization of Electric Energy survey shows that the generation of clean energy grew 6% in the first four months of this year, compared to the same period in 2021.

In the National Interconnected System, the participation of hydraulic energy from hydroelectric plants went from 73% last year to 77% this year. Wind power from the winds went from 9% to 10%. And solar energy doubled: from 1% to 2%. In the same period, thermal energy reduced from 17% to 11%.

Despite the 100% growth in solar energy, this is an energy matrix with little participation in the system. In the case of hydroelectric plants, the reservoirs of the Southeast/Central-West subsystem, which is the most important in the country, are already at almost 70% of capacity. In 2021, they reached 16%.

Although the tariff flag has been removed from the bills, consumers will still pay more for energy. According to the Institute for Energy and Environment manager Ricardo Baitelo, this extra money is to pay for the intense use of thermoelectric plants in 2021.

“Let the next auctions contract less and less thermoelectric plants. They were used full-time last year, but it would be ideal if they were only used strategically in Brazil because the impact is very high on the electricity bill, inflation, and the purchasing power of Brazilians,” says Ricardo Baitelo.

The energy specialist also says that Brazil needs to encourage the increase of solar and wind energy in the National Interconnected System.

“There is no limit to the participation of wind and solar sources in the matrix; their potential is gigantic. So, Brazil has all the conditions to be a country that has a diversified electric matrix, which no longer depends mainly on the hydroelectric source,” says Baitelo.

With information from Jornal da Globo