Geração de energia no Brasil: a importância da biomassa na matriz energética nacional

Abstract

This paper seeks to analyze biomass participation in the context of a global discussion involving the need to address the two key issues of the 21st century: energy security and climate change. The idea was to try to discuss the growth of energy demand and the representativeness of renewable sources to reduce dependence on fossil fuel sources both in the domestic supply of energy (OIEE) and in theinternal energy supply (OIE). It is based on a more general approach that involves the discussion on sustainability and the transformation and use of biomass in the world and after an analysis involving changes in the Brazilian electricity sector (SEB) since 2004. The assumption that guided this research highlighted the importance of energy for the economic development of any country or nation, as well as biomass and other renewable energies, in the context of the need to deal with climate change. In Brazil, the discussions about the field of energy in general and of electricity, specifically, go through the effort to organize the electrical system, seeking the possibility of contracting new sources of energy, especially renewable ones, such as wind, biomass, the small Hydroelectric Power Plants (SHP), solar. This contracting is carried out in specific contracting environments and conditions for pricing according to the tariff modification criterion, in the case of the Regulated Contracting Environment (ACR), as well as taking into account the energy sold in the Free Contracting Environment (ACL).The importance of renewable energies in SEB is also highlighted by a brief approach on the importance of the Alternative Energy Sources Incentive Program (PROINFA) in the process of market creation for renewable sources. By means of the methodology used, it is concluded that the biomass follows an expansion trajectory, especially sugarcane bagasse, where its relative importance was verified in the process of contracting this source in the ACR. Therefore, it is estimated that biomass will continue to be important in the national electricity matrix over the years and that the search for diversification of energy generation sources will focus on renewable sources beyond the large hydroelectricity. space needed for its expansion and continuity, thus taking advantage of the technological maturity that the country already has in the generation of energy by this type of source.