The expansion of photovoltaic solar energy in the world is significant. However, its contribution to decreases in greenhouse gases (GHG) is not an absolute guarantee. In this context, it is necessary to evaluate its benefits in advance, considering the structure of the electric energy supply matrix of the country producing the photovoltaic solar system, as well as the country where the technology will be implemented. This study evaluates the adoption of renewable sources for electric power generation in a country with a high share of renewable energy. A life-cycle assessment (LCA) of a set of multi-Si photovoltaic (PV) systems installed in the Brazilian northeast (NE), was carried out. The actual generation data of 10 plants totaling 1.1 MWp installed capacity were evaluated during two years of operation. Energy payback time (EPBT), greenhouse gas emission rate (GHGe-rate), and emission payback time were calculated. The great influence of the electric matrix characteristics of the country manufacturing PV systems was evidenced in the results. The interconnected Brazilian electrical system had a 2020 projected GHGe-rate of 63.9 g CO₂/kWh, while the results of 70% of the photovoltaic solar power plants (PSPS) assessed herein exhibit higher GHGe-rates. Thus, in countries where the electric matrix comprises a high share of renewable sources, such as Brazil, the incentive to use PV systems manufactured in nations whose electric matrix registers high emission factors should be well evaluated in terms of the impacts of GHG concentrations and the promotion of sustainable development, in order to avoid indirect import of significant amounts of carbon embedded in the systems.

Increased use of fossil fuels has contributed to global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions, which has led countries to implement policies that favor the gradual replacement of their use with renewable energy sources. Wind expansion in Brazil is a success story, but its adherence to distributed generation is still a big challenge. In this context, the authors of this paper argue that the development of robust and viable distributed power grids will also depend in the future on improving small wind generation as an important alternative to the diversity of decentralized power grids. In this study, the authors present an overview of the small-sized Aeolic (or wind) energy market in Brazil, with the objective to support the debate regarding its expansion. Promoting the small wind market in Brazil is still a big challenge, but lessons can be learned from the United States. In this context, the article uses the United States learning curve, analyzing barriers that were found, as well as public policies implemented to overcome them. The lessons learned in the American market may guide public policies aimed at fostering this technology in Brazil. If technological improvements, certification and introduction of financial incentives were implemented in Brazil, the small wind industry chain could grow substantially, building a trajectory to promote the low carbon economy.

Semi-arid regions have historically suffered from low water availability. In addition, the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events credited to global climate change has made it increasingly clear that among the challenges faced by society water resource management is extremely necessary. In this context, desalination based on renewable energy resources integrated with production systems that make use of the waste resulting from this process becomes a socio-environmentally indicated alternative to expand existing supply strategies and sustainable water use in isolated locations, and/or areas distant from large urban centers, thus addressing local potential and reducing environmental impacts. This study assesses the use of Photovoltaic Solar Power Plants (PSPPs), as well as of residues generated in a Brackish Water Reverse Osmosis System (BWRO), in productive units linked to fish and family farming. This is as an alternative way to reduce water vulnerability in the Brazilian semi-arid area (BS), adhering to climate change adaptation measures in the light of Brazilian public policies through the Freshwater Program (Programa Água Doce—PAD), which aims to promote access to good quality water to approximately 500 thousand people in the Brazilian semi-arid region.

Brazilian offshore potential exploration is still in its early stages, with no single offshore park in operation or being implemented. Unlike the already identified onshore wind potential—with over 14 GW installed in the form of onshore wind turbines—offshore wind potential research is absent and restricted to limited areas. In this context, this study aims to identify offshore wind potential throughout the Brazilian coast for electricity generation. The research method took into account the average annual wind velocity records as 100 m/s, as well as bathymetry and the distance from the coast baseline, to classify areas displaying the greatest potential, applying an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to the geographic information system for the identification of potential offshore wind energy exploration sites. Environmental conservation units were considered exclusion areas. The installable capacity using aerogenerators was estimated at 3 TW, while an annual average power production of 14,800 TWh was calculated for the sum of the viable areas. These results demonstrate that the wind potential identified throughout the Brazilian coast provides the conditions for significant energy sector development. To this end, it is necessary to establish an ecological economic zoning of the areas displaying the greatest potential identified herein for the beginning of offshore exploration in Brazil.

The convergent narrative which proposes an energy transition, aiming to replace fossil fuels with renewable energies, has in wind power technology a viable option that can consolidate this view. Brazil produced 14.8 GW of wind powered energy in 2019, 85.7% of this total in the Northeastern region. Social and environmental fragilities of local communities, overlooked an exclusionary planning, have led to opposition movements against wind farm implementation. This study aims to assess how the arrival of wind power dialogues with the demands of the communities living in the projects’ vicinities, as well as repercussions on institutional, socio-economic and environmental developments. A case study was conducted with regard to the Galinhos’ community reaction to the arrival of wind power. First, public domain narratives were evaluated, in order to ascertain the different perceptions from the social actors involved in the process. Next, the community’s vision was assessed regarding expectations and fears, created by the existence of the wind farm, before and after its implementation. The perception was that the wind farm did not change the population’s socioeconomic conditions and environmental issues require appraisals by the accountable bodies. In this scenario, the materiality of the narrative that justifies wind farm expansion in the Brazilian northeast was assessed.

The integration of renewable distributed generation into distribution systems has been studied comprehensively, due to the potential benefits, such as the reduction of energy losses and mitigation of the environmental impacts resulting from power generation. The problem of minimizing energy losses in distribution systems and the methods used for optimal integration of the renewable distributed generation have been the subject of recent studies. The present study proposes an analytical method which addresses the problem of sizing the nominal power of photovoltaic generation, connected to the nodes of a radial distribution feeder. The goal of this method is to minimize the total energy losses during the daily insolation period, with an optimization constraint consisting in the energy flow in the slack bus, conditioned to the energetic independence of the feeder. The sizing is achieved from the photovoltaic generation capacity and load factors, calculated in time intervals defined in the typical production curve of a photovoltaic unit connected to the distribution system. The analytical method has its foundations on Lagrange multipliers and relies on the Gauss-Jacobi method to make the resulting equation system solution feasible. This optimization method was evaluated on the IEEE 37-bus test system, from which the scenarios of generation integration were considered. The obtained results display the optimal sizing as well as the energy losses related to additional power and the location of the photovoltaic generation in distributed generation integration scenarios.