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The aim of this paper is to present the main challenges for the development of the natural gas industry in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo; in so doing, the paper identifies the strategies that are currently employed by industry players to encourage the use of this resource and to thus diversify the state's energy matrix. For these purposes, the following methodology was adopted: (i) analyzing bibliographic references that address the issues of infrastructure industry, regulation and the natural gas industry in Brazil – including in the Brazilian states; and (ii) employing secondary data from governmental and regulatory institutions to demonstrate the evolution of this industry in recent years in Brazil and particularly in Espírito Santo. The study concludes that, although there are challenges in expanding the gas transportation (carrier) and distribution segments ("natural monopolies") and the formation of a "consumption-anchor" for natural gas, the present is the right time to use public policies to encourage the use of natural gas and renewable sources for technological, environmental and energy security reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of existing electricity grids to smart grids is aimed at accommodating increasing shares of renewable generation thus contributing for the de-carbonization of economy, offering more diversified services to consumers, enhancing different types of markets (energy, capacity, ancillary services) and improving the system's overall efficiency. As the economic characteristics of the electricity sector tend to discourage investments in smart grids, many countries have adopted incentive policies to foster the deployment of new technologies, which vary according to the particular characteristics of each country. Therefore, the design of specific public policies for Brazil must consider not only the motivations involved, but also the existing challenges for the implementation of smart grids and the socio-economic context. Moreover, the relevance of the proposed policies can be seen from different perspectives. This justifies the need to elicit information from multiple stakeholders for decision support purposes. This paper presents and assesses a set of policies identified by different stakeholders as having a potential to foster the development of smart grids in Brazil. The methodology to shape this set of policies consisted of a thorough literature review of international experiences, combined with meetings with experts in several domains. Then, these policies were assessed by applying a Delphi questionnaire aiming at measuring their effectiveness in fulfilling the objectives associated with investments in smart grids. A first conclusion is that all policies were assessed as having a positive impact taking into account each of the objectives, differing only in the priority to be assigned to each one. The policies that were considered more relevant were: "Incentive Policies for Promoting Demand-Side Management, Distributed Generation and Storage", "Regulatory Changes to Foster Innovation in the Energy Sector" and "Regulation of New Business Models". Among the policies with the worst scores, "Mandatory Rollout of Smart Meters" and "Establishing Quality Standards for the Telecommunications Industry" were ranked as the two lower-ranked policies, i.e., they were assigned lower priority under all objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comparative analysis of energy governance regarding nonconventional renewable energy sources (NCRES) in Brazil and Germany. Brazil is a world leader in the use of conventional renewable energy sources, such as hydro power, while Germany has been achieving outstanding results in fostering NCRES. The focus is on two critical issues: the legal and regulatory framework and the institutions created to support the NCRES market development. The comparison shows that, despite the very different energy situations and policy drivers, valuables lessons can be extracted from the German experience. The main lesson for Brazil is to think NCRES as a strategic opportunity to rely less on fossil fuel and large hydroelectric power plants, to decentralize the electric power sector, to use the huge solar, biomass and wind power potential available in the country and to create a environment-friendly NCRES industry. To this end, three critical points were identified: (1) the legal and regulatory framework should be improved; (2) long-term energy planning taking into account social, economic and climate issues and; (3) the current institutions supporting NCRES in Brazil should be upgraded and/or new ones, such as more specific energy agencies, should be created. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article aims to investigate the introduction, sustenance and consolidation of bioethanol in Brazil. It presents an analysis of its introductory stage, from the first decades of the 20th century until the early 1970s, when, in a second stage, additional measures allowed for its consolidation and maturity, under the widely known Proalcool. The paper presents a historical reinterpretation of the policies, mechanisms and instruments adopted in both stages, aiming to highlight the economical and political links. It is concluded that the interests of the agrarian elites, operating at the political level, and the fuel supply crisis during Second World War were basic during the first stage, to sustain a productive and logistic capacity and maintain ethanol alive as an automotive fuel. It is also concluded that the launching of Proalcool represented a transition combining the interests of the sugarcane agribusiness, burdened by the drop in sugar prices, and the need to equilibrate the balance of payments due to the oil shocks of the 1970s. Ethanol supply shocks harmed its credibility and its commercial consolidation was only possible through the introduction of flex-fuel vehicles with expectations strongly relying on climate change mitigation actions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]