Hydropower and the geopolitics of renewable energies in the Amazon Basin

Bibliographic Data

ID3754593
AuthorsCarlos Potiara Castro (0000-0002-0493-6397, Universidade de Brasília, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume24
Publication date2021-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmbiente & sociedade (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1414-753X • E-ISSN: 1809-4422
PublisherFapUNIFESP (SciELO) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1590/1809-4422asoc20200129r1vu2021l2ao
OpenAlexW3191429538
SCIELO_PIDS1414-753X2021000100316
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited36

This article aims to reflect on the strategic importance of hydroelectric energy generated in the Amazon region for the interconnected Brazilian system. Its quantification shows a regional potential for higher energy generation compared to the current production of pre-salt oil. We consider this issue from the perspective of the geopolitics of renewable energy that brings new and relevant elements. In this article, the analytical framework focuses on path-dependence, smart-grids and energy-intensive societies and their energy security policies. As a result, we observe that in the current configuration, the advent of renewable energies can be an additional element of a long-term economic specialization of the Amazon, with worrying consequences from a socio-environmental perspective

Amazon rainforest · Business · Economics · Economy · Energy security · Environmental economics · Geopolitics · Hydroelectricity · Hydropower · Natural resource economics · Political science · Renewable energy · Energy and Environment Impacts · Engineering · Hydropower, Displacement, Environmental Impact · Water Governance and Infrastructure

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