The approval of Law 15.269/2025, which opens the free energy market to all Brazilian consumers, has been celebrated as a historic milestone. However, contrary to what is being propagated, we are not facing an energy revolution, but rather a purely commercial change.
The "era of choice" rhetoric sounds seductive, but it hides the fact that the real beneficiary will be the large energy producer, who will now be able to grab even larger market shares.
The consumer, in turn, will not become the protagonist, but the target of sophisticated commercial strategies designed to capture their attention and loyalty in contracts that do little or nothing to alter the structural reality of the Brazilian electricity sector.
It needs to be made clear: the opening of free market it will not bring smart gridsThis will not strengthen infrastructure resilience, nor will it guarantee energy security in times of crisis. The so-called "intelligence" will be focused solely on commercial negotiations, pricing algorithms, and digital platforms that transform energy into just another off-the-shelf product.
What Brazil really needs are smart grids, networks capable of adapting to extreme events, integrating different sources of generation, and offering stability in the face of increasingly frequent blackouts.
The numbers speak for themselves. In 2023, Brazil recorded more than 180 large-scale power outages, affecting millions of consumers in different regions. By 2025, with increasingly severe weather events, the vulnerability of the electrical grid has become evident.
It's not the possibility of choosing between supplier A or B that will prevent a flood in Santa Catarina or a heat wave in the Southeast causes blackoutsWhat guarantees energy security is the ability to generate energy close to the points of consumption: homes, businesses, industries, rural farms, hospitals, schools, and public buildings.
The true modernization of the Brazilian electricity sector depends on the democratization of... distributed generationSolar panels on rooftops, small community hydroelectric power plants, battery storage systems Local energy companies and cooperatives are examples of solutions that decentralize power and strengthen communities.
This is not just a technological advancement, but a turning point for the country. In times of climate crisis, those who can generate energy in neighborhoods, villages, or cities will be guaranteeing not only savings, but survival and autonomy.
The free market, as it is being designed, does not promote this revolution. It merely transfers the monopoly from the distributors to an oligopoly of large trading and generating companies, which will continue to dictate the rules.
Instead of gaining freedom, consumers will be pressured to navigate complex contracts, without their electricity bills reflecting real improvements in infrastructure. The promise of R$17,8 billion in annual savings for Group B, cited in studies, ignores the fact that this amount does not translate into investments in resilient networks, but into negotiation margins that benefit companies.
Brazil does not need an "era of energy choice" based on marketing. It needs an era of energy security, built on the pillars of decentralization, sustainability, and resilience.
Energy should be treated as an essential public good, not as a commodity subject to the same logic as telecommunications or financial services. With each blackout, with each climate disaster, it becomes clear that the way forward is not to open up the market, but to strengthen communities.
We end 2025 at a crossroads. We can continue believing in the fallacy of commercial modernization, or we can take on the challenge of building a truly intelligent electrical system capable of withstanding the storms of the future.
The choice that truly matters is not between suppliers, but between societal models. And I believe that Brazil will only be modern when each citizen, each neighborhood, and each community can generate and share their own energy, ensuring that the common good prevails over commercial interests.
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The opinions and information expressed are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the author. Canal Solar.
Answers of 8
It is evident that everyone is fully aware that the Brazilian Electrical Reform is necessary, and that Renewable Energies are the best option…
The issue is not this universal understanding, but a political one…
That's why our progress toward development is still very slow… We agree completely with the subject matter.
And we must continue to stand with others who believe in and want what is best for the country, for their city, for their home…
Sergio Arestides
Photovoltaic Energy Specialist
Aracaju – Sergipe. (79) 99178-1951
My heartfelt congratulations to the columnist. The massive advertising campaign in the media is a veritable illusion selling the idea that consumers don't need to invest in equipment, ignoring the fact that investing in a self-generated solar system offers an exceptionally better IRR and savings of around 80% to 90% compared to the maximum 40% savings in the so-called free market, with its inherent risks. These large institutions omit the fact that Brazil is still a country with significant instability in the "rules of the game" of a very new free market. Here, lobbies and economic power are operating at full steam, and the consumer, as always, pays the price.
Exactly! This is a snapshot of the crisis that the Brazilian energy sector has been revealing. For decades, legislation has been passed, creating shadowy mechanisms. We will not see any significant change until the productive sector, micro-enterprises, alternative power generators, public managers, and end consumers begin to monitor and demand results from the legislation.
Renewable energy in Brazil is all talk and no action. They talk a lot, but when you invest in photovoltaic generation, they want to tax you. When they invest in wind power, they don't build a distribution network.
The lobby is strong, and it's the population that suffers.
What truly guarantees a balanced energy system is not more solar power plants in a single location, but rather several on rooftops without a monopoly. I fully agree with the article.
This is truly a thought-provoking text, but given so much corruption in the political landscape, people are losing faith, afraid to invest in distributed generation (DG) for fear of being taxed, afraid to invest and have the government impose a tax… the government is envious of those who generate jobs and income… corrupt…
The government's actions that encourage financing for low-income and middle-class families are hypocritical, considering the difficulties imposed on us by the distributors. How long will the government continue to stifle the solar energy sector? ☀️
Congratulations on the article. It reflects the real trap they are setting for electricity consumers.
A sector rife with corruption benefiting certain groups that control large sums of money.
Marcos Franco Moreira
Former Director of the Ministry of Mines and Energy during the Lula and Dilma administrations.
Responsible for the first works on Smart Grids.