The newsletter *Um Grau e Meio* interviewed Vinícius Oliveira da Silva, who holds a Ph.D. in Science from the Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Automation at EPUSP (Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo), project manager at IEMA (Institute of Energy and the Environment), and a researcher in the fields of energy planning, the Amazon, and renewable energy.
According to the researcher, energy generation and consumption in the Amazon expose the population to the impacts of hydroelectric dams—projects designed to meet the needs of central-southern Brazil—while the Amazon region still suffers from supply problems and dirty energy sources.
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What is the profile of energy generation and consumption in the Legal Amazon?
Nearly 26% of all electricity available in Brazil is produced in the Amazon, but only 8% of that energy remains in the region.
The Amazon produces a large amount of electricity, mainly from hydroelectric plants, but this energy is directed toward supplying other regions of the country. Thus, the states of the Legal Amazon bear the brunt of the impacts of these hydroelectric plants but do not consume this energy.
In the Amazon, there are also regions outside the grid infrastructure—known as “Isolated Systems”—which serve approximately 2.5 million people and rely on individually generated electricity. These systems are generally based on fossil fuels, primarily diesel and natural gas.
In other words, the Amazon has significant renewable energy generation, primarily from hydroelectric power. Although these plants are a non-fossil fuel source, hydroelectric generation also has impacts on reservoirs, river flow, and fish populations, and causes flooding in certain areas.
At the same time, the region is heavily dependent on fossil fuels. These systems rely on the logistics of fuel transportation and combustion, which generate greenhouse gas and methane emissions.
Furthermore, approximately 1 million people in the Amazon region do not even have access to public electricity service. They rely on individual and community-based solutions, often powered by diesel or gasoline generators. The cost is high, both for generating the electricity and for transporting the fuel to these regions.
Why isn’t the energy generated by the Amazon’s hydroelectric plants consumed within the region itself?
The system was originally designed to transmit this energy to other parts of the country. The plants in Roraima, for example, aren’t even considered part of the Northern System, but rather part of the Southeast/Midwest System.
The large power plants built in the Amazon were designed primarily to serve other regions of the country. Plants such as Santo Antônio, Jirau, and Belo Monte are connected by transmission lines that carry energy from the North directly to the Center-South.
The way the Brazilian energy system was planned and implemented has led to large-scale projects being built in the North, while the benefits of the energy are distributed to other regions. The North is left primarily with the socio-environmental impacts of these projects.
The power plants in Roraima, for example, aren’t even considered part of the Northern system. They are classified as part of the Southeast/Midwest system.
The rationale was to build these plants to serve the consumer market and meet the energy demand of the Central-South region, rather than prioritizing the North.
The same is true of Tucuruí, one of Brazil’s largest power plants, located in Pará. Part of the energy serves the North, while another part is directed to the Central-South system.
What are the consequences of this model for the population of the Legal Amazon?
Many areas of the Legal Amazon suffer the impacts of hydroelectric dams, such as river diversions, the flooding of cities, and the creation of large reservoirs. At the same time, isolated communities are forced to rely on thermal power plants and diesel generators.
That is the reality.
Is the Brazilian grid prepared to cope with increasingly frequent droughts?
Hardly. The 2021 crisis demonstrated this. There were successive droughts, reservoir levels dropped significantly, and it became necessary to quickly bring thermal power plants online to keep the grid running.
As a result, “red” and “red 2” alerts were issued, and the price of electricity rose. Consumers were given an economic incentive to reduce consumption and avoid higher bills.
This is the result of a failure to adapt to climate change.
Climate change alters rainfall patterns and the amount of water available in reservoirs. The Brazilian system is still hydro-thermal and relies heavily on thermal power generation to operate and stabilize.
Wind and solar power have grown, but they are variable. There is no solar generation at night, and wind conditions also vary throughout the day.
For this reason, the system relies on baseload sources, such as hydroelectric and thermal power plants. When there is little water in the reservoirs, dependence on thermal power plants increases.
Thermal power is more expensive and emits more greenhouse gases. This creates a feedback loop: less water leads to more reliance on thermal power plants and, consequently, to more emissions.
How many isolated systems exist today, and where are they located?
Brazil currently has 167 isolated systems. Only one is outside the Amazon: Fernando de Noronha. All the others are in the Legal Amazon.
Several states have more than one isolated system. Generally, each system serves a single municipality—primarily its central region—distributing power to schools, homes, businesses, and industrial facilities.
Why haven’t these regions been integrated into the national grid yet?
Several have been. Brazil once had more than 300 isolated systems. Many states were electrically isolated from the rest of the country. Integration began in the Central, Southeast, and South regions, advanced through the states of the Northeast, and reached the North.
Mato Grosso was integrated, followed by Rondônia and Pará. The last frontiers were Amapá, Roraima, and Acre. Amapá was connected, then Acre, and, just last year, Roraima.
There are still several municipalities and regions in the Legal Amazon outside the National Interconnected System, and there are plans to integrate some of these areas, but others will never be connected.
The main reason is cost. Some regions are so remote that connecting them would require transmission lines to cross conservation areas and indigenous territories. In some cases, it is more feasible to keep the system isolated and subsidize its operation.
And what are the main energy sources for these systems?
More than 90% of the systems use diesel or natural gas. Diesel is the primary source. Some regions in Roraima and Amazonas have natural gas distribution lines that serve power generation facilities.
Few systems use biomass or solar power with batteries. Most are still diesel-powered.
What can be done in regions that will never be integrated into the national grid?
We need to combine different solutions. There is no single answer. One alternative is to create hybrid isolated systems.
If a region will remain isolated, it is possible to reduce dependence on diesel by using other technologies. First, it is necessary to assess whether there is space available for their installation. Photovoltaic panels and batteries can be used in conjunction with diesel generators.
During the day, solar energy can meet demand. Batteries can store the surplus for periods when solar generation is unavailable. When additional energy is needed, the diesel engines kick in. The coordinated operation of these sources reduces costs and fossil fuel consumption.
It is also necessary to improve the distribution infrastructure to reduce losses and increase energy efficiency. This includes modernizing street lighting and replacing equipment with more efficient models.
Combining renewable sources with thermal systems and energy efficiency measures can improve the quality of public service in regions that will remain isolated.
What is the path to maintaining a clean, stable, and reliable electricity grid in the face of climate change?
There are several paths, all related to the planning and organization of the electricity sector.
Hydroelectric plants have high operational capacity and are a stable source, but climate change affects their operation. Other solutions must be incorporated.
Hydropower expansion is concentrated in the North, where there are still waterfalls and basins with generation potential. However, the construction of hydropower plants in this region causes environmental and territorial impacts, including in indigenous and Quilombola areas and conservation units. It also alters river flows and can cause flooding.
Furthermore, these plants are increasingly distant from the National Interconnected System and require long transmission lines.
Thermal power plants, on the other hand, pose the problem of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, it is necessary to expand other solutions.
Solar energy is an important alternative and is growing, but it also requires improvements in transmission infrastructure. There are bottlenecks in the distribution of the energy produced.
There are also periods of high solar generation when there is insufficient demand, and part of the energy is wasted. Therefore, it is necessary to expand storage capacity to store the energy produced by wind and solar sources and use it later.