Residual biomass energy potential: perspectives in a peripheral region in Brazil

As a part of the United Nations new sustainable development agenda, renewable energy was one of the goals identified for the sustainable use of our planet. Previous studies on biomass energy production in Brazil have shown promising results as a renewable energy source. This paper highlights opportunities for power generation from biomass in the less developed regions of Brazil. Such opportunities create new energy generation possibilities in a country that already has an enormous rate of agricultural production, enabling access to energy and therefore increasing quality of life, optimizing available resources and decentralizing the energy system. This paper aims to evaluate the regional potential of energy generation in municipalities with a low Human Development Index. The methodological approach is divided into four steps: (1) the selection of the municipalities to be studied, (2) an assessment based on the production data from the selected municipalities, (3) the calculation of energy demand and a (4) comparison of the biomass energy potential and demand. Our results indicate that three small municipalities in the Jequitinhonha Valley (Minas Novas, Turmalina and Almenara) have the potential to be self-sustainable in energy production. In accordance with the UN recommendations, this potential should be explored more thoroughly.