The executive-secretary of the Global Wind Energy Council, Steve Sawyer, was invited by the Special Committee on Renewable Sources of Energy, of the Chamber of Deputies, to participate in the debate on the next February 3rd. Sawyer is one of the greatest European authorities in renewable energy sources.

The meeting will also count with the presence of the coordinator of the Renewable-Energy Campaign, Ricardo Baitelo, and of the director of Public Policies of Greenpeace, Sérgio Leitão; and of the president of the Brazilian Association of Wind Energy, Lauro Fiúza.

Voting of the report
According to the president of the committee, Deputy Rodrigo Rocha Loures (PMDB-PR), the goal is to update information on the subject, so as to enable the voting on the final report of the committee by April. “From that first conversation, we will update the possible changes or collaborations of the members of the committee, to broaden the field of renewable energies.”

The deputy thinks that this year will be important for the definition of a Brazilian legal benchmark for renewable-energies sources, “either in the economic field or in the investment one.”

The special committee, which was established in June 2008, is analyzing a series of bills on renewable energies. Among them is PL 630/03, proposed by the former deputy Roberto Gouveia, which provides for incentives for the use of renewable energy. According to the bill, at least 15% of the consumed energy in Brazil, from 2020 on, should come from alternative sources, such as wind and biomass.

Energy-Expansion Plan
The Decennial Plan on Energy Expansion 2008/2017, proposed by the government, forecasts a slight expansion of the participation of alternative sources in the Brazilian matrix. According to the text, the wind-energy percentage would go from 0.3% in 2008, to 0.9% in 2017. During the same period, biomass would go from 1% to 2.7%

More polluting sources, on their turn, would have a more expressive growth. Thermal energy, run on combustible oil, for instance, would have a participation of 0.9% in the energetic matrix, in 2008, against 5.7% in 2017.

Contradictory position
According to the evaluation of the leader of the Green Party, Deputy Sarney Filho (PV-MA), the government’s position regarding the thermoelectric power plants is environmentally contradictory. “If, on the one hand, the government is in favor of the protection of environment, on the other hand, it is voiding all that it had put into the Targets Plan regarding the fight against deforesting. While it tries to decrease emissions from deforesting, it increases the emissions from consume of fossil fuel, which is much more dangerous and harmful and emits a much more pollution.”

According to the Decennial Plan of Energy Expansion, the hydroelectric power plants will keep being the main source of electric-power generation in Brazil. From 85.9% of participation, in 2008, they will reach 75.9%, in 2017. The plan is under public consultation until January 30th.

Report - Ana Raquel Macedo/ Rádio Câmara
Editing- Regina Céli Assumpção
Translation - Positive Idiomas Ltda