A beacon of the energy transition in Brazil, Bahia remains the national leader in the production of renewable energy, with an increase in installed capacity corresponding to 32% and 20% of power, respectively, in the country’s wind and solar sources, according to accumulated generation data in 2023 , made available by the Electric Energy Trading Chamber (CCEE).
The State’s electrical matrix is already made up of 93% renewable sources, with wind energy representing the majority. Currently, there are 326 wind farms and 71 photovoltaic projects in operation. Investment by companies in the sector on Bahian soil in equipment in operation is R$36.5 billion in wind energy and R$8.3 billion in solar energy.
For the Brazilian Wind Energy Association (ABEEólica), in addition to bringing clean and renewable energy to the country, investments in wind energy in Brazil have a factor called “multiplier effect” on the economy. “For every real invested in this source, we return 2.9 reais to the economy. We carried out a study, in recent years, which shows that the Northeast Region grew by around 21% in terms of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and 20% in development index with the arrival of wind farms”, compares the entity’s executive president, Elbia Gannoum.
Investments don’t stop. At the beginning of April, the Aroeira Wind Complex, belonging to the Enel Green Power Group, was inaugurated, which has an annual capacity to serve 849 thousand homes.
According to the state government, there are 81 wind turbines in eight wind farms installed in Umburanas, Morro do Chapéu and Ourolândia, with 348.30 megawatts of installed capacity. Per year, the complex is expected to generate 1,800 gigawatts, equivalent to the energy needed to supply homes, avoiding the emission of more than 757 thousand tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Amidst the growth of the sector, challenges arise and some of them are the need to expand transmission lines to flow energy to be produced and meet new consumer loads, according to the State Secretary of Infrastructure, Sérgio Brito.
“Bahia had important results in the last two auctions, in June 2023 and March 2024, carried out by the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel), attracting more than 5 thousand km of transmission lines and four new substations of the Basic Network, which They are the major energy flow trunks for Brazil, with an investment of over R$12 billion”, he highlights.
“Perfect destination”
The current Bahian scenario in the energy transition is also analyzed by the state secretary of Economic Development, Angelo Almeida.
“Renewable sources have been in constant growth since 2012. We have natural issues, such as constant and unidirectional winds and good irradiation rates, which make Bahia the perfect destination for the expansion of the sector and others capable of impacting not only the matrix energy at national level, but also in other sectors, such as green hydrogen and its derivatives, can be applied, for example, to agribusiness and industry in general”.
According to the head of the Secretariat for Economic Development (SDE), tax incentives and adequate infrastructure make the state of Bahia an attractive place for investments.
“Governor Jerônimo Rodrigues has worked hard and encouraged his team to work hard to make the State a perfect global scenario for a fair and sustainable energy transition. Bahia is already a leader in wind production and, soon, we will be a leader in solar photovoltaics”, he points out, highlighting that the renewable source “has great adherence in universalizing access to electrical energy”, promoting social inclusion and local development”.
Installed power
According to the Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association (Absolar), Brazil’s own solar generation has just surpassed the mark of 28 gigawatts of operational power installed in homes, businesses, industries, rural properties and public buildings, reaching R$ 139 billion in investments in the country.
As a result, “more than 3.5 million consumer units are already served by photovoltaic technology across the country and it is already present in 5,545 municipalities and in all Brazilian states”.
According to the association’s mapping, the country has more than 2.4 million photovoltaic systems installed on roofs, facades and small plots of land. When calculating the costs and benefits of so-called distributed generation, a study by specialized consultancy Volt Robotics, commissioned by Absolar, concluded that the net savings on Brazilians’ electricity bills will be more than R$84.9 billion by 2031.
Since 2012, according to the entity, around R$139 billion in new investments have been directed, generating more than 840.3 thousand green jobs accumulated in the period in all regions, contributing to a collection of more than R$41 for Brazilian public coffers. .7 billion.
For the president of the Board of Directors of Absolar, Ronaldo Koloszuk, the exponential growth in the generation of solar energy is a sign of the popularization of the technology in the national territory. “Market analysts point out that, in 2023 alone, solar panels registered a drop of around 50% in the average final price, increasing their attractiveness and access by Brazilian consumers of different profiles”, he reports.
The Bahian Solar Energy Association (ABS) considers that distributed generation of solar energy is the current solution to improve sustainability in electricity consumption and enjoy significant savings, both for homes and companies. ABS advisor, Giancarlo Smith, states that, according to a study of solar irradiation on the Earth’s surface prepared by the international Solargis Institute, irradiation in Bahia, in March this year, was around 10% higher than the average of the last ten years .
“This fact is clearly perceived by the sensation of heat that we have been feeling, requiring greater use of air conditioning units. The distributed generation of solar energy carried out on the roof of each home or company helps to reduce the impact of this increase in energy demand, both for the transmission and distribution networks, and for the impact on consumers’ energy bills”, points out Smith.
Check out the Municipalities Booklet:
>>>The energy transition in the transformation of cities
>>>Clean energy impacts regional economies
>>>LabSolar
>>>Tax incentives facilitate the installation of renewable plants
>>>Growth of clean energy
>>>Pan American Energy completes works on wind complex
>>>State is one of the leaders in the distributed generation sector
>>>Morro do Chapéu and Várzea Nova gain wind complex
>>>Bahia is a beacon of energy transition in Brazil
>>>Women represent 58% of fishing records
Tags: Bahia beacon energy transition Brazil
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