ENERGY
RENEWABLE
ENERGY IS A
RESPONSE TO
THE DILEMMA
OF GROWTH VS
CO2 EMISSIONS
LUIZ EDUARDO F. DO
AMARAL OSORIO
Chief Institutional Relations
& Legal Offi cer, CPFL
54
The energy sector is playing a crucial
role in the sustainable development
of the planet this century. At a time of
transition to a low carbon economy, the
key challenge will be to balance growth
in energy demand with the rational use
of natural resources and the reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions. By 2050, the
United Nations Organization estimates
that two thirds of the global population,
that is 6.3 billion people, will be living
in urban centers. Emerging nations
with levels of consumption inferior to
those of the developed world will have
to take the lead in preparing for the
corresponding economic expansion,
these cities of the future requiring the
adoption of sustainable solutions.
In this context, investments in clean
energy sources and energy effi ciency
become still more relevant. According
to an International Renewable Energy
Agency report, if the share of these
sources in the global energy mix were to
double to 36% by 2030, the environmental
savings would be equivalent to as much
as US$ 4.2 trillion. However, countries
will have to coordinate their regulatory
framework and stimulate the insertion of
these alternative sources in their energy
matrices if this is to become a reality.
In Brazil, where the average annual
electric energy consumption is 2.5
thousand kWh per capita – well below
the 8.2 thousand kWh per year for
members of the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) – the energy matrix contrasting
with the majority of the world’s nations.
More than 80% of the country´s
electricity generation originates from
clean sources, the emphasis being
on hydroelectric energy, while for a
good part of the world, coal is the
principal source of energy. The sharp
increase in the importance of alternative
renewable energy in Brazil has been
remarkable. This, in the form of wind,
solar and biomass, accounts already
for approximately 15% of domestic
energy supply, an indication that as
Brazilian consumption per capita grows,