Indicator-Based Framework: A Proposition to Achieve a Sustainable Energy Future in the Brazilian Electricity Industry

• Ano de defesa: 2018
• Autor(a) principal: Tanaka, Karen Talita
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: eng
• Instituição de defesa: Biblioteca Digitais de Teses e Dissertações da USP
• Palavras-chave em Português: Brasil; Brazil; electricity industry; energy sector; indicadores; indicators; setor elétrico; setor energético; sustainability; sustentabilidade
• Link de acesso: http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/106/106131/tde-11052018-100745/

The dissertation was inspired by the need to develop a set of indicators that could serve as an instrument to foster a more sustainable path for the Brazilian electricity industry. As additional objectives, the research aimed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the countries assessed, and to extract lessons and recommendations for Brazil to prepare and carry out strategies to foster a sustainable future. The main question posed by the doctoral dissertation was what are the main aspects of a framework that can work as a strategic tool to identify pathways for a sustainable electric future for Brazil? The final indicator-based framework was based on a set of indicators whose aim was to identify a suitable combination of factors for the Brazilian electricity industry to move towards a more balanced energy future. The indicators proposed, all of which were directly related to electricity, were selected based on previous academic work, and were meant to cover the three main domains of sustainability today, namely the economic, social, and environmental domains. The choice of indicators that compose the framework reflects political, academic and market-based concerns involved in the achievement of a sustainable future for electricity. Historical sets of data for 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010 were used to compile the results of the final five indicators: a) access to electricity (IND1), b) electric power transmission and distribution losses (IND2), c) carbon dioxide emissions from electricity and heat production (IND3), d) renewable electricity output (IND4), and e) renewable generation capacity share (IND5). The results show the 111 countries analyzed for each indicator and as a group for the framework. A series of cross-reference analyses were also shown, positioning Brazil among the best and worst scores, among the Latin American countries and among the BRICS. The conclusions discuss the importance of indicators and how their choice, weight and combination can affect the overall position in a ranking and serve as a powerful tool for better informed decision-making.