Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply - Embrapa

produce approximately 4,500 EJ2 of energy, while other authors point to a
sustainable energy capability of about 3,000 EJ. In developing countries, agroenergy
will continue to be an important source in the energy matrix.
From the technical standpoint, renewable sources can meet a good part of
the increase in world energy demand, regardless of its final purpose (electric
power, heating, or transportation). Nevertheless, the economic feasibility,
sustainability of each source and availability of renewable resources to generate
that kind of energy vary depending on the region. Tropical regions receive strong
solar radiation, while plains, particularly costal plains, have greater wind energy
potential. Geothermal sources are more abundant in regions with intense volcanic
activity. Wastes are available everywhere, and both its volume and concentration
increase with urbanization. The main discrepancy, therefore, occurs with biomass,
since few countries, among which Brazil, can increase the energy-agriculture
area without competing with other land uses, such as food growing, leisure,
housing, transportation, environmental protection reserves, etc.
Renewable energy in the energy matrix
The Brazilian energy matrix stands among the cleanest in the world.
International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates indicate that 35.9% of the energy
supply in Brazil comes from renewable sources, as compared with only 13.5%
in the world at large. In the United States and United Kingdom, the share of
renewable energy sources is 4.3% and 1.1%, respectively (Table 3).
Table 3. World energy supply.
Country
Argentina
Australia
Brazil
France
Germany
United Kingdom
United States
World
Primary energy
supply (tep)
57.6
115.6
185.1
265.6
351.1
235.2
2.281.4
10,038.3
2 (E = 10 18 ) and J is Joule, unit of energy.
49
Renewable
energy (tep)
6.2
6.6
66.4
18.6
9.2
2.5
99.1
1,351.9
Renewable
energy (%)
10.8
5.7
35.9
7.0
2.6
1.1
4.3
13.5