Secretaria de Energia de Sao Paulo

Today we were lucky enough to get to meet the secretary of energy and the undersecretaries of renewable energy for the state of Sao Paulo. I found it so interesting and refreshing to hear their perspective on all of the progress in renewable energy. I am also thankful that this trip happened towards the end of our stay since I was able to have all of the background on the energy sources they were discussing. Truthfully, after leaving all of the different renewable energy plants on this trip I felt pessimistic about the future of renewable energy. Solar, hydro, and biomass all seem so expensive and hard to implement due to the scales of the production and the energy output. Also, while hydro power provides a lot of energy, unfortunately Sao Paulo has already hit the max amount of hydro power available to them. Overall, the idea of switching a significant amount of power over to being sourced by renewable energy seemed almost impossible to me.

 However, today we got to hear all about how successful Sao Paulo has been in increasing the renewable energy used. While the world only gets 14.3% of their energy from renewables, Sao Paulo gets an impressive 58% of their energy from renewables. Out of that 58%, 27.6% is from biomass, 15.8% is from hydroelectricity, and 8.9% is biofuel. I was impressed that the leading source of energy was biomass since I personally thought that biomass had the least amount of potential currently out of all of the different types of renewables. We asked the undersecretaries what they thought the next step was in renewable energy since all of the hydro potential has been exhausted and is also unreliable due to droughts. I was surprised to hear that they thought that solar and biomass would be the next big step for them.

I always thought one hurtle for biomass was that not all cars can use it. However, I learned that Brazil created flex cars (cars that can use both ethanol and oil) in 2003 and all cars since have been flex cars. One benefit to biomass fuel is it is cheaper than oil for consumers especially when sugarcane is in season. However, there is still the problem that consumers aren’t as environmentally conscious so they still don’t make the switch. Regardless, sugarcane is such a large industry in Sao Paulo and Brazil as a whole that it makes sense to focus on as an energy source. However, they did specify that they need to focus on improving the technology used to convert sugarcane to ethanol and not growing more since they already have so much. Sugarcane does have the downside that it is also effected by the droughts but is still a good alternative. For solar power, they explained that Sao Paulo is a better candidate for it than other locations due to the proximity to the solar plants. With closer proximity to the plants, it is more efficient to transfer the energy to consumers so it is a good option for them. Also, the focus would be using solar to heat liquids and not convert it to electricity.

Hearing all of them be so optimistic with a goal of increasing their renewables by 4% each year brought hope back to me that renewable energy has a future. Sao Paulo is definitely a leader in renewables compared to the rest of the world based off of the statistics we learned today. I am so grateful that the secretary of energy took time to talk to us along with the undersecretaries. I understand now just how important renewables are for Sao Paulo and have a new appreciation for this trip and why we came here to learn about sustainable energy. 

The City of God and the Favela Lifestyle

I had never heard about favelas before the day I arrived in Brazil. Now I know that they are not only a huge part of Brazilian culture, but they also represent corruption and violence and so much more. We saw a video in class that depicted favelas as a place for the poor to go that gave them a roof and a strong sense of community. A further look into the favela life revealed more. Favelas are their own section of Brazil, they are tucked away on mountains and are not considered parts of the cities that surround them. In the article "Performances of Policy Legitimacy in Rio’s Hyper Favela" by Erika Robb Larkins, favelas are described as having "no legal status, no rights, and as a result occupy a space [called] bare life.” So if they have no legal status, who has authority for them? The authorities would have you believe it is them but many would say that in reality, whoever runs the drug trafficking has the authority in favelas.

                This article relates to the movie we watched called “The City of God.” The movie is based off a true story and focuses on a particular favela in Rio de Janiero where traffickers have all of the authority. The operation starts with young kids who keep an eye out for cops and have signals for when they come so traffickers know when to hide their operations and ends with corrupt cops that are paid to keep quiet should they catch anything. What I saw in the movie was terrifying. The main drug lord Lil’ Ze was a psychopath who controlled all operations in the Favela and also killed as a sport. There were some benefits to having him in charge. Since everyone knew better then to get in Lil’ Ze’s way, crime in the favelas stopped (aside from the trafficking). Everyone kept to their own day to day operations and life in the favela’s stayed quiet. What was upsetting to me was how young kids were included in the operations and corrupted to believe that the trafficking life was the way to live that provided security. On top of that, the police for the most part looked the other way or were paid off and when they did step in they just killed whoever they pleased since they don’t view the favelas as having any rights.

           The article also mentions how there is also an appearance of police action in the favelas so that everyone living outside in the wealthy parts of the state believe everything to be under control. This also relates to the City of God and how the police handled the drug war that began. In the movie, Knockout Ned wanted revenge on Lil’ Ze and partnered with the last standing drug operation that stood outside of Lil’ Ze’s operation. What began was a full blown war. All anyone (kids included) had to do was pick a side and they were provided a gun and told to kill. While the cops were rarely present, they eventually able to arrest Knockout Ned and put him behind bars. While this gave the appearance of the police having a handle on things, in reality everyone was still shooting everyone back in the City of God.

          At the end of the film, Lil’ Ze was finally arrested and you think the war is over. Unfortunately, you soon find out that the cops just take Lil’ Ze’s money and let him walk. It is completely appalling to me how the authorities cannot care that hundreds and hundreds of people were killed and how a drug operation of such large scale is still happening. In the end, both Lil’ Ze and Knockout Ned are killed but everyone is still running around with guns and a mindset that anyone can be killed if there is a disagreement. The favelas are a different part of the world. They are hidden behind walls and provided with enough to sustain themselves without the need for anyone to enter the real world. Corrupt cops and drug traffickers have an understanding so that drugs remain in place but authorities have the appearance of being in charge. I have a new appreciation for my lifestyle after learning about the favelas but also cannot believe that what I am learning is actually true.

Homework #7: Reflection

When I first came to Brazil I had no idea the scale of what “going green” meant. Growing up I was always taught to practice green behavior by recycling, turning of water and lights when not in use, and by using green products when available. Throughout my lifetime I would hear more and more about renewable energy and how more places were starting to us it. The main concept with renewable energy is that current practices like oil 1) give off negative emissions into the environment and 2) use resources the eventually will run out. New energies like wind, solar, and hydro started a new market that provided energy without harming the environment and harnessed that energy without depleting the resource.

      It all seemed so simple to me, but why wasn’t everyone using renewables then? In my mind the answer was it is just too expensive. While I am not wrong and setting up wind turbines, solar panels, and water turbines is very costly, there is also more to it. For example, we visited a solar power plant during our stay here. The entire operation was very impressive and took up a large area of space with the panels and buildings where they monitor everything.  We learned that the plant has a capacity of about 15-20 MW. At first, that didn’t really mean anything to me since it was just a measurement that before this trip I hadn’t heard about. Later in our trip however, we also visited a hydro plant with a capacity of 900 MW. In comparison, solar then seemed like a really bad idea to me since it takes so much to set up and produces so little. For even more perspective, I researched what the capacity for a coal power plant was and found that even the smallest of all the plants in the world had a capacity of 2,000 MW.

      With all of this in mind it is very clear to me why renewable energy hasn’t become more widely used. Yes, it is better for the environment and yes, it provides energy that will create electricity that will work the same as what you get from oil. However, setting up these renewable energy plants is costly and the energy created is much smaller then what we already get from coal power plants that are already in place.  

      On top of the smaller scale of energy that renewables create, there are also hesitations for setting up these energies. As stated in “Sustainable energy without hot air” the main conception of renewables have downsides as well. Wind turbines kill birds and just about every form of renewable is too expensive. Of course, the burning of coal is also expensive and creates CO2 emissions that has negative impacts on our environment so that seems like a bad idea as well. However, coal does have one huge advantage and that is the processes for converting coal to oil are already in place. Not only does setting up renewable energy sources cost a significant amount of money but it also requires a lot of space which means large equipment that alters our environment. Furthermore, the finite amount of time we have to use oil is hundreds and hundreds of years so there is no motivation to make the switch.

      I know that sustainable energy is the future and is a much better option environmentally for the world.  I also know that wind, solar, and hydro, (along with other forms such as biomass, nuclear, and waves) are all viable options that can replace non-renewable options successfully. However, now I have a much better understanding of what that all means. Renewable energy is a very large operation that is expensive and currently creates energy in a less efficient was than oil operations. The switch to renewable energy also requires energy from both the suppliers and consumers which is a whole other obstacle. Overall, after spending time learning about sustainable energy I have a much greater appreciation for oil as well as the efforts made for renewable energy after.

Brazilian Culture: The Cordial Man

At first, Brazilian culture didn’t seem too different than what I am used to in the states. Sao Paulo looked very developed and had roughly the same city feel as Boston. However, the more we saw and interacted with locals the more I started to notice the differences in character. So what is it that “defines” what a Brazilian is like? Sérgio Buarque de Holanda wrote a book in 1936 that discusses this “Brazilian character” that can still be used today for an accurate depiction. He describes the “cordial man” in reference to what a local Brazilian is like. The cordial man is described as someone who is led by the heart, puts family before civilization, and who believes that the public is a place for celebration. The cordial man does not have a strong work ethic in the sense that work is not his priority, but fun and games are. What this means to me is that the cordial man is both happy and friendly in public interactions. I believe this accurately describes many of the people I have met here during my trip.

So far, everyone has been very inclusive in all activities even though we hardly know each other. I think this goes along with the idea that the public is a place for celebration. Everyone wants to share their culture with us as well as ensure everyone is having a good time. I think my best example of this is a girl named Milena who we met at the Bee W one of our first nights here. Milena did not know us, but coincidentally was moving to Boston the following week and was excited that we were from there. After we all talked for a while she proceeded to invite us to her plans for the night. Since it wasn’t too far from our hostel, we agreed and a group of us went with her to a club. We ended up having a fantastic time and she stayed with us for all of it. At the end of the night, she went as far as to walk us all the way home to ensure we made it home safe. We all friended her on Facebook and told her that when we were back in Boston we would return the favor and show her around the city.

                This scenario just wouldn’t have happened if the roles were reversed and we were in Boston. Maybe it’s just me, but I tend not to socialize with strangers too much when I am out. I also don’t know many people that would add a group of 8 to their party for the night due to the extra hassle. Furthermore, most people would not leave early from a party and walk strangers home. The friendliness she showed us as well as selflessness is something that isn’t often seen in Boston. Not only was she definitely using the public as a place to celebrate with everyone, but she acted off of her heart the whole night. Practically, adding 8 strangers to your night plans can be a pain as well as dangerous because you have no idea what you are getting yourself into. However, she didn’t hesitate at all or stop smiling the whole time. I am very grateful to Milena for the amazing time she showed us and for being so welcoming to us.

All of the locals we have encountered here so far are all so welcoming compared to anything I am used to back home. It is surprising that 70 years later the description of the cordial man is still apparent in the culture here. I look forward to experiencing even more of the culture during the second half of our stay.

Homework #5 Ethanol Plant

Today we went to an ethanol plant to learn about how sugarcane is used to create ethanol which is a renewable energy replacement for oil. There are many steps that go into converting sugarcane to ethanol. It starts with using solar energy to grow the sugarcane plant. The location we visited grew their own sugarcane, leased land where others could grow sugarcane, as well as imported even more of the plant. Once the sugarcane is harvested, it is put through a long process. 

                I thought overall that the plant was very well organized. Over the years a lot of their process was automated so there weren’t many workers around that I saw. The sugarcane was brought in by trucks and poured into a machine that crushed the juice 5 times using the same proccess. Interestingly, After the first round of crushing, 70% of the juice is extracted and the next 4 are used to get the remaining 30%. The liquid is then fermented with the use of yeast and distilled. The final product is an ethanol solution that is 93.8 % pure. Throughout the whole process, samples are taken to ensure everything is working properly and all levels are remaining constant.

Once again, I find myself conflicted with this process. Not only does it take an enormous amount of effort to create ethanol, but there are still CO2 emissions produced during the process which is bad for the environment. Furthermore, some engines cannot run off of ethanol so in order for this form of energy to really take off, new machines will have to be produced and purchased. While new renewable energies creates new jobs and markets, it also does not lend to an easy transfer from non-renewable options. If the end goal is a complete replacement of the current fuels and machines, ethanol with the current process seems costly and extremely difficult to implement.  

I am not trying to argue I don’t think we should use ethanol; I just believe it will be a very long time before it replaces a large percent of coal plants. Not only is ethanol less efficient than gasoline, but it is not compatible with 100% of  machines so responsibility falls on consumers as well to help make the switch. Consumers will have to fill up their tanks more often which is extra effort on them and in some cases buy cars that are compatible. With consumer behaviors in mind, it could very well happen that the supply of ethanol greatly surpasses the demand for it. 

I grew up being told promote "green" behavior and renewable energy and I do believe that everyone should. However just based off where our economy and resources are currently, I am left with a negative outlook on ethanol and renewable energy. The market does not usually adapt to things that require extra effort and switching over from coal would be more effort for consumers. 

Homework #4 Hydro power

 When I go to work in the morning I put on a pencil skirt, blazer, and flats. I hop on the T for twenty minutes which lets me out in front of my building and when I enter, my cubicle is waiting for me with my laptop and a second monitor. What stood out to me was how difficult it was to get to the hydro plant. We drove on the edge of a mountain and then went into the woods before seeing what turned out to be a very large facility. Once there, we had to put on protective gear including a helmet, glasses, and noise canceling headphones. To see half of the units we had to go down into a tunnel that was man made by dynamite.

EMAE is a hydro power plant built in 1926 with 8 above ground units with two turbines each and 6 underground units with one turbine each. The above ground units produce about 462 MW across all 8 machines and the underground units produce 70 MW each for a total of 420 MW. Each unit has a large needle that last for about 84,000 hours before needing to be replaced. We were able to see a scaled model in action and that to me was incredible so I can only imagine what the life size machines look like under the steel casings.

I what to preface what I am about to say by stating I am a full supporter of renewable energy. I can also recognize that the power plant is producing a lot of energy at a very high efficiency (low loss of energy). However, I have to admit that I can understand when people argue that the cost associated with setting up renewable energy sources is too high for it to be a viable option. Looking at the size of the hydro plant and all of the material that had to be set up on top of a giant mountain, I can’t help but think how much time and resources it took to build and what it takes now to maintain. I know that hydro power has great long term benefits, but the high upfront costs definitely stand out to me.

I was most impressed with the underground units compared to the above ground ones. The 6 units underground only have one turbine compared to the above ground units that have two and also require less maintenance according to our guide. The underground units also produce 420 MW out of 6 machines which isn’t too far behind the eight above ground units. What that means to me is underground units are a more financially sound option because they use less material more efficiently. However, I can’t forget that the tunnel they sit in was man made by dynamite which I’m sure was a long process.

It is conflicting for me to be stuck so much on the cost of the entire operation but I found my mind falling back on those thoughts throughout our tour today. I am a firm believer that we need to witch over to renewable resources but after today I can appreciate the standpoint of “renewable energy is a lot of time and effort.” From what I gather from our class and our textbook, a lot more renewable energy needs to be produced/used for it to start making a difference and from what I saw today, that will take a lot to make happen. 

Homework #3: Solar Power Plant

Today we went to Tanquinho Solar Plant run by CPFL Energia in the city of Campinas. I am not sure what I had in mind specifically when I thought of a solar power plant but what I saw was not it. I think I was expecting a more factory looking environment, but this location was not that. It had an amazing landscape with flowers and ponds outside and high tech equipment inside.  Overall, I was taken back by the beautiful location.

Unfortunately, between the lack of knowledge I have in the energy industry and the language barrier of the workers, my understanding of their operations were very basic. What I gathered from our visit is that the company has a lot of advanced technology that allows them to track all of the energy they supply very accurately. Their operations are run 24 hours a day so they can monitor all of the energy they distribute in case there is a power outage somewhere. In the event of a power outage, they have an overview of the entire grid so power can be sourced from alternate locations when possible. They are also capable of pinpointing exactly where a problem is stemming from so workers can be sent out quickly to fix the issue while customer service is updated with real time notifications that can be relayed to the concerned customers.

 They also showed us their “Smart Meter” which allows them to run tests to show how much energy is being used at a particular point and gather that information in less than a second. With this meter they can monitor energy for billing purposes and also cut off power, or limit it in the case of commercial use, when the bill is not paid for.

Afterwards, we were introduced to their electric cars that run 100% off electricity and are slightly smaller than the average car. One thing that CPFL is still working out is how to control the electricity that will be used for the car. The example given was a cellphone. While you may buy a phone in one location, the carrier is the one in charge of getting data to that phone and the one who also benefits financially from you having a cell phone. They have the same situation with their car. While they would sell the car, the electricity used would come from many different sources and they are working out ways to monitor that as well as make sure there is enough electricity available to charge their cars with.

Lastly, we were driven to their Solar farm where we saw all of the panels they had set up. A small portion of them were able to rotate east to west with the sun which allows for about 11% more efficiency. Unfortunately, due to the cost they cannot have all of their panels rotate. The panels they have covered a large portion of land (in my opinion) and were well maintained. The panels are cleaned every 2 months based off of a calculation of loss of efficiency vs cost of cleaning. According to calculations, after 2 months the dirt on the panels make them 10% less efficient and so that is when they are cleaned.

Even from someone who has limited understanding of how solar energy is collected and distributed, I thought today was very interesting and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to visit their business. 

Homework #2 Energy Consumption

1.        

The first graph shows that the consumption of energy has increased across the board for all resources as well as more than doubled overall since 1971. It also shows that the primary sources for energy are coal, oil, and natural gas. This to me shows that overtime the amount of energy we consume is only going to go up. While it makes sense that as the world becomes more developed, the amount of energy consumed increases, this is not a sustainable pattern. The most used resources have a finite amount on this planet so in theory they will run out if we keep using them. Going forward, more should be invested in other forms of energy sources that are more sustainable such as wind, solar, and hydro to allow for an increase in energy throughout the world.

The second graph shows various countries population, % of the worlds GDP, and consumption of energy. What is interesting from this is that while the United States has about 25 percent of the population of china and India, it’s consumption of energy is more than double that of china and 6 times more than India.  That being said, the US also has the largest GDP out of all of the countries whereas China and India are among the lowest GDP’s. While there are many factors in energy consumption such as how developed a country is, the US clearly needs to focus efforts in energy consumption. To have the largest energy consumption stemming from such a small population of the world is slightly embarrassing and also a sign that the US should learn from other countries practices.

The third graph compares energy consumption per capita to the GNP per capita. There seems to be a positive linear relationship to the two factors, meaning the richer countries tend to consume the most energy. There are a few outliers however, the USA and Canada are not the riches countries and yet they consume the most energy. This graph supports the idea that the US needs to focus efforts on consuming less energy. The more energy we consume, the worse it is for the environment which will hurt everyone in the long run. Also, to be using up the most energy out of everywhere in the world is inefficient and unsustainable due to the source of that energy.

Looking at all of this information, while China and India have the largest populations, there energy consumptions are low. This makes some sense when you consider that those countries are less developed then the US and Japan who have smaller populations but larger energy consumption. Based off of this knowledge, as China and India do become more developed their will be a spike in energy consumption as well that could very well surpass that of the US and China. I think that as the amount of energy consumed does increase, it will be very important to note what the source of that energy is since the most popular sources currently are also the least sustainable. 

2.

     My estimated carbon footprint currently is less than the average US person (22 vs 27) whereas my estimated footprint 20 years from now is much higher than the average (32). I think this is interesting since I based my 20 year guess off of what I think the typical American family would be like. If I am right in my estimates that would mean that in the future, there will be an even larger increase in consumption of energy even though the US already has the highest percentage per capita. The amount of energy consumed will increase in the future based off of the patterns on this graph. To counter act this, the source of energy must change to be more sustainable for the economy and environment. What is also important to note is that while my carbon footprint is currently lower than the US average, it is probably much higher than those from other countries.

Homework #1

First Impressions:

I don’t have any expectations for Brazilian culture other than I heard they have really delicious cuisine. I chose to come on this trip on a complete whim with no prerequisites of what it will be like. I am excited to learn what I can about Brazilian culture and all it has to offer.

Most of the preconceived notions I have about Brazil are recently formed from all of the negative publicity Brazil is getting surrounding the Olympics. I have heard about Zika virus spreading, the shooting of a Jaguar, a highway shooting, and Olympic athletes dropping out of the competition for concerns of health. All of that negativity aside, I still believe Brazil to be a friendly and welcoming place. I also believe that Rio and Sao Paulo are different and we won’t be seeing much of the drama surrounding the Olympics.

I think at first being in a new place where I do not know the language or customs will be overwhelming with a big learning curve. I have been told everyone who is from Sao Paulo will do their best to help and through jumbled Portuguese, Spanish and English most of the time I will be able to get through a conversation.  I think for now, I will have to be open to everything when it comes to food, activities, and customizing myself to everyday life. Overtime I’m sure it will get easier and I will learn about new things that I love but for the first few days the best thing to do is just keep an open mind.

I have never been in a country that does not primarily speak English or share a lot of the same cultures as the USA so I expect this trip will be very different for me. Before now, I had been to Canada, the Caribbean, and London which all allowed me to speak English and were surrounded by a culture I was used to for the most part. That being said, I am excited to experience something so different from what I am used. Being in a country with such different culture and language will be different than anything I am used to so I can’t know exactly what to expect. I know it would be easy to just follow along the few people on this trip that already speak Spanish and have experience traveling but I know that I have to put myself out there so I can experience everything for myself.

In order to learn about Brazilian culture, I will do my best to start speaking Portuguese (or at least Spanish) when I am out instead of falling back on others who know the language.  I also think the culture class and weekend trips we have planned will be a big help in learning the culture. I think the best thing to do is just go out as much as possible and explore new things while we are here.

I am exited to see what the next month has in store for us and hope that by the end of it I will have experienced everything Sao Paulo has to offer.