Brazil has the capacity to increase solar energy by 100 times, says director of Petroarm

O director of sustainability at Petroarm, Mauricio Tolmasquim, said that the Brazil has the capacity enough to increase the offer of solar energy by 100 times. 

The statement was made during the seminar “Clean energy: The energy transition in Brazil”, held by Folha de S. Paulo this Monday (19).

Last week, the national photovoltaic installed capacity surpassed the 39 GW mark, according to data from ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency).

According to the executive, all this volume of solar energy in operation – which adds the powers of distributed and centralized generation plants – is already relevant, but should increase on a large scale In the next years.

Tolmasquim also drew attention to the potential of growth from other clean sources in the country, such as biomass and wind (onshore and offshore). 

“We have a potential for (renewable) resources not only in quantity, but in quality, which allows us to have low costs,” he said. 

“While in other countries – which are having to join the energy transition – several of these sources mean a burden for the consumer or the Treasury when implementing them, in Brazil this burden practically does not exist, because here they are extremely competitive sources” , he highlighted.

According to Tolmasquim, about 15% of the energy consumed in the world today comes from renewable sources, while in Brazil this percentage is almost 50%. 

“If we look at electrical energy, the difference to the rest of the planet is even greater. The world has around a 30% share of renewables and Brazil surpassed 90% last year,” he said.

For this reason, the professional assesses that the country cannot miss the opportunity to invest resources in promoting clean energy. 

“It is a great opportunity for this country to lead and set an example at a global level in the geopolitical context. We have to further develop our renewable generation capacity”, she pointed out. 

green hydrogen

The sustainability director of PetroBras also said during the event that the green hydrogen has everything to do Brazil a country with even more international prominence in the energy sector. 

Tolmasquim cited a study released by Bloomberg that points out that in 2030 it is expected that the green hydrogen be more competitive and cheaper in Brazil than gray hydrogen (obtained from burning gas) In other countries. “It’s something revolutionary and disruptive,” she said.

“When I thought about hydrogen, I looked at Brazil and imagined the country exporting to Europe. Today, I already changed my mind. Maybe we will start exporting, because, at the moment, Europe has subsidies that bring greater competitiveness. But, if costs really fall the way they are projected, Brazil is a potential market for our green hydrogen,” he said. 

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