Wind energy in Brazil is growing through competition and attracting foreign companies interested in investing in a low carbon future. Major companies, such as EDF, EDP and Stategrid (via CPFL) were amongst the successful bidders in the latest energy auction, which will add 2.1 GW of new installed capacity to the grid as disclosed by the Electricity Regulatory Agency (ANEEL). In 2017, Brazil was ranked the 2nd country by Bloomberg’s Climatescope, which compares the environment for clean energy and climate investment worldwide.
An Evaluation of Brazil’s RenovaBio Program
According to the Paris Accords on Climate Change, each country is to develop its own goals for CO2 reductions and develop a program to meet these goals. Brazil is an interesting case study in this effort. Unlike other countries, Brazil has chosen to place a strong emphasis on transportation rather than electrical generation and building efficiency. Brazil has a long history in renewable fuels with a continuous ethanol blending protocol since 1931. In December of 2017 the Brazilian government passed the RenovaBio program in record time under the leadership of Congressman Evandro Gussi, pictured below. Since then, the RenovaBio Committee has quickly moved to work out details of the program which is strongly based on California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. In April and May, the proposed protocol was opened to public comment in Brazil.