Sustainable Expansion of the Brazilian Electricity Sector: An Approach using Sustainability Indicators

Perspectives for Brazilian Electricity Sector has continuously being changed in recent years. This is due to technological advances in wind turbines (with fallen costs), growing environmental constraints (specially related to hydropower potential), nuclear expansion uncertainties (after Fukushima event), among others. As a result of these facts, Brazilian auctions for electricity has surprisingly achieving good results for renewables, as wind power plants. The aim of this paper is analyse the atractiveness of power generation from a sustainability point of view, updating the study published in 2010 by La Rovere et al ("The sustainable expansion of the Brazilian electricity sector using sustainability indicators as an instrument to support decision making"). The following generation sources are assessed: natural gas, small hydro, nuclear, wind, municipal solid waste, sugar cane bagasse, solar PV, agriculture solid residues and coal. Results shows that Brazilian energy matrix is following the path of sustainability.