“Brazil is working to modernize the electricity sector, recognizing that we need to adopt the best technologies available, without giving up competitiveness.” This is what Helvio Guerra, deputy secretary of SPE (Energy Planning and Development), at the MME (Ministry of Mines and Energy) said.
The secretary participated, this Tuesday (6), in the webinar “ETP Special Report on Clean Energy Innovation”, whose main theme was the role of innovation in Brazil's clean energy transition. Throughout the event, Guerra highlighted that the country follows its own path towards its energy transition, especially as it has always prioritized renewable sources.
“The PDE 2029 (Ten-Year Expansion Plan) points out that, in ten years, more than 80% of the electricity generated in Brazil will come from renewable sources. And in addition to hydroelectric plants, there is also the participation of wind plants with more than 16%, photovoltaics with more than 8% and biomass with more than 10%”.
“Our sectoral planning, which is implemented through the PDE and the PDN (National Energy Plan), shows that the participation of hydroelectric plants and other renewable sources will continue to grow”, added the secretary.
According to him, Brazil has a high percentage of renewable energy in its matrix, which imposes a great responsibility to maintain the country of the future at the same level. “Here I refer to sustainability in its broadest sense, where it is not enough to generate clean energy. We have to use it sustainably.”
According to Helvio Guerra, for this to happen there needs to be a change in the behavior of consumers themselves and for all governments to continue supporting the development of technology and innovation.
PNE 2050 and innovation
During the webinar, he also spoke about longer-term planning, such as the PNE 2050, which indicates the trends of different energy alternatives for the next 30 years.
“The PNE can be considered as the design of a strategy and as the mapping of the challenges we see ahead of us, meeting sectoral demands and always keeping national development in mind”, he stated.
The secretary also commented that innovation plays a key role in bringing more efficiency, reducing costs and increasing productivity, and that it needs to serve the integration of clean sources such as wind and photovoltaic solar”. “Artificial intelligence, for example, can contribute to obtaining more efficiency from these sources, since they are non-dispatchable sources”, he concluded.
