Barriers and perspectives for the expansion of wind farms in BRAZIL

Mário Joel Ramos Júnior,Paulo Soares Figueiredo,Xisto Lucas Travassos,Hussein Kazem,Marta Szabo,Abdul Salam K Darwish

doi:10.1051/rees/2021055

Mário Joel Ramos Júnior, Paulo Soares Figueiredo + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1051/rees/2021055

Copy DOI

Abstract

The use of renewable sources for electricity generation has as main benefits the preservation of natural resources, security in the distribution of electricity and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Research has shown that the participation of wind in the Brazilian electrical matrix has increased considerably in recent years, despite the existence of multiple barriers to the implementation of wind farms in the country. This study aims to identify and evaluate the current barriers to the expansion of wind farms in Brazil, suggesting ways to overcome them. Based on a systematic review of the literature, the evaluation of the complexity level and associated risk, the barriers were categorized into seven groups. The results indicated that four barriers are more relevant in relation to the expansion of wind farms in Brazil: unstable macroeconomic environment, government policy uncertainty, system constraints, and lack of infrastructure. On this basis, apart from the recent growth of wind energy in Brazil, actions must be taken to mitigate the identified barriers, as the most complex barriers need government intervention to be removed or mitigated, since the electricity market is highly regulated and complex in Brazil. Further research is needed to rank and analyze more deeply the barriers that were identified here, through interviews with stakeholders and visits to wind farms.

Highlights

After the Energy Crisis of 2001, Brazil has been developing public policies to increase the share of renewable energy in the national electricity matrix
The objective of this paper is to evaluate the barriers to the desired expansion of wind farms, in Brazil, and to point out ways to overcome them
The study was conducted through a systematic literature review to identify the most important barriers affecting the expansion of wind energy in Brazil

Summary

Introduction

After the Energy Crisis of 2001, Brazil has been developing public policies to increase the share of renewable energy in the national electricity matrix. The energy produced by wind is renewable, does not pollute, has low environmental impact, and has contributed for Brazil to meet the goals assumed in the Paris Agreement. This agreement aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the context of sustainable development. Martins and Pereira [3] emphasized the need for political commitment related to sustainability. As explained by Letcher [4], wind energy has the advantages of providing electricity without producing carbon dioxide or particles in the atmosphere; of providing national security, as it reduces dependence on foreign sources of fuel that are subject to price variation or import embargoes; and of allowing diversification of the domestic electrical matrix

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion