Bioelectricity Production From Sugar Cane May Double in Ten Years in Brazil
Published by: Portal Exame, 11/30/2011


Bioelectricity can be one of Brazil's greatest assets concerning clean energy generation. According to the Energy Research Company (EPE)'s, "Ten Years Energy Expansion Plan", over the next ten years the production of energy from sugarcane bagasse will double in Brazil.

The national potential in the production of biomass is really large. Brazil has 440 sugar and ethanol plants and only 90 of them sell their electricity generated by sugarcane bagasse. For these plants - which now produce only the energy necessary for self-sufficiency - to start selling clean energy, it is necessary to rely on Government incentives, as explained by the Director of the State of Sao Paulo Industry Federation, Luiz Gonzaga Bertelli.

Companhia Paulista de Força e Luz (Sao Paulo Light and Power Company - CPFL) is already making plans for this market and its growth announced for the next two years. According to the company, sugar cane bagasse will be the raw material used for the production of 400 MW of power, in a park that will produce 1,505 MW of renewable energy.

Currently Brazil produces 4,496 MW with the sugar-alcohol industry waste, but EPE reports that this potential should reach 9,163 MW by the end of this decade. Unica - Sugar Cane Industry Association, is even more confident and believes that the production can reach amounts as higher as 13,150 MW, which is produced by the Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Plant.

Another important factor in the use of sugar cane bagasse is that the harvest occurs in the dry season, when the hydroelectric plants are operating at low capacity. Among the advantages is also the possibility to sell carbon credits on the carbon market and this be used to lower investment costs, in comparison to other types of clean energy.

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