Ildo L. Sauer

Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions originating from energy consumption by the residential sector in Ecuador

Ecuador presents a singular pattern of energy consumption, based, mainly, on fossil fuels. Such a situation is, from both environmental and economic points of view, neither desirable nor strategic for the country, a signatory to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). However, the current transition that the energy sector in Ecuador is undergoing may enable solutions based on demand-side management (DSM). The purpose of this work is to investigate the use of DSM measures that may lead to reduction in fossil fuel demand and thus mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in Ecuador. Technical and economic assessments are carried out through construction of scenarios with the Long-Range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LEAP) model. Results show attractiveness of measures based both on substitution of energy sources and on energy efficiency.

Economic analysis of photovoltaic and gasoline pumping systems

This work presents an economic analysis of water pumping by small photovoltaic and gasoline systems for irrigation in the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil, were electrification achives only 15% of rural houses. Farms are characterized by small areas where rain water availability is quite small as well. For such needs, the Diesel commercial pumping systems are usually too large and expensive. Results show that water supply by photovoltaic is less expensive than gasoline when international PV module prices are considered and more expensive for domestic prices.

Um sistema interligado hidroeólico para o Brasil

This paper deals with the possibility that Brazil has - thanks to its immense hydroelectric and wind potentials - to produce in a sustainable way all the electrical energy it consumes nowadays and will consume from 2050 on, when, according to the IBGE, the population will be stabilized at 215 million people.

Financing aspects of electricity saving's in Brasil

Programs regarding to energy saving in Brasil arised by the early 80s, from the concern with oil products consumption. The situation has changed and electricity is growing in importance when energy conservation is discussed.

Testing Forecasting Method:Displacement of Bottled LPG by Pipelined Gas in the Brazilian Dwelling Sector, a 2004Essay Revisited

Thecompetition between two energy sources for the same market which results in the replacement of one source by the other, based on dynamic model derived from biomathematics, previously applied in 2004, by authors in the Brazilian LPG x Pipelined NG (PNG)dwellingconsumption market is analyzed. The proposed model seems to be useful to increase the knowledge of the relationship between input and output variables in a system and the results can improve the communication rapport between theoretical modelers and decision makers.The forecasting results are compared with the actual data.

Testando modelos alternativos em economia da sustentabilidade: Baumol versus Georgescu-Roegen

Given the ubiquitous nature of the laws of thermodynamics, it would be reasonable to expect that the divergence between strong and weak sustainability could be subjected to critical tests. That is, it should be possible to use the neoclassical production theory and the laws of thermodynamics to generate predictions able to question the empirical adequacy of the neoclassical research program in terms of sustainability. However, the current state of the debate normally suggests the opposite, that is, the currently available evidence is not sufficient to build refutations. Contrary to this prognosis, we argue that it is possible to build critical tests to evaluate the models in dispute using evidence already available. However, such a construction requires that the analysis of the sustainability be not restricted to the type of evidence traditionally used by such models. We argue that alternative theories must be explicitly used to give meaning to new types of evidence. Without the explicit mobilization of alternative theories to evaluate new types of evidence, critics of the orthodox theory dwell on an epistemological trap, in which the questioned research program determines what is or what is not scientifically meaningful. To illustrate the prospects of the methodological proposal presented here, we apply this approach to a particular neoclassical model – the Baumol’s model –, which explicitly supports the ability to indefinitely continue the trajectory of economic growth triggered by the Industrial Revolution. The results refute the tested neoclassical model, demonstrate the need to distinguish between intensive and extensive substitution of natural resources, and corroborate the Geogescu-Roegen fund-flow model.

Fiscal Reform of Fuel Regulation in Brazil: Recent Developments and Environmental Implications:

Internationally the fossil fuel-based energy sector now faces increasing uncertainties due to changes in its fiscal regulation, prompted by pressure for environmental regulation. These changes typically eliminate some taxes at the beginning of the oil production chain, but compensate for these by increasing taxation on consumption. In Brazil, fiscal reform proposals focus not on environmental arguments but on the elimination of excess levies and red tape and on increasing equity across income classes. However, liberalization process of oil and gas industries in Brazil has led to modifications in fuels taxation. This article discusses current Brazilian fiscal policy as related to fossil fuels, explaining the nature of recently introduced contribution for economic regulation (Contribuição de Intervenção ao Domínio Econômico, CIDE) and the impacts on price formation. It also shows how those modifications tend to include external costs from activities in the fuel sector; through revenues from a levy earmarked for two purposes: i) funding investments in projects deemed to be environmentally beneficial, and, ii) improvements in road infrastructure aimed at reducing emissions from transportation. Some ideas on how to improve use of the levy to perk up fuel alcohol competitiveness are also discussed.