Brazil's energy divide: Sustainable energy alternatives for the brazilian amazon region

Abstract

The insertion of the Brazilian Amazon region into the Brazilian and global economies is one of the challenges faced by the Brazilian economy. Accounting for 60% of the Brazilian territory, the region will play a key role in shaping the future growth and development of the Brazilian economy in the next decades. Energy availability has been the region's main economic bottleneck. The energy divide refers to the lack of adequate and reliable energy supply in the Amazon region and constitutes the region's main barrier for its further economic development and growth. The lack of energy imposes limitations on the local population standards of living, increases the business costs, limits the economic exploration, and limits its business vocations. The region's energy matrix carries a substantial carbon footprint, since most of the region's energy needs are fi lled by fossil fuels. This paper discusses energy solutions and alternatives for the Brazilian Amazon region. © 2012 WIT Press, www.witpress.com.