We're almost there!

We've already covered our discontent, the rules of the game, why they fail and what we can do about it. Now the natural question is: "OK, but where do we go from here? What are the real alternatives?".

Fortunately for a Brazilian, the answer to that question is some of the most encouraging news we could hope for. If Brazil were a chef, it would have one of the richest and most varied pantries in the world at its disposal for preparing the energy banquet. We're not short of raw ingredients; what we lack, as we've seen, is the right recipe and the will to prepare it.

Let's open that pantry and look at the energy menu available to us. A menu of clean, cheap, renewable options that are, most importantly, perfectly achievable on our own soil.

Brazil's Energy Menu: A Consumer's View

Imagine you're at a restaurant and the waiter hands you the menu. In Brazil, that menu is vast. Let's go through the main dishes, one by one, from the perspective of someone who's paying the bill and wants to know exactly what they're consuming.

Solar Photovoltaic Energy: Gold Falling from the Sky

What is it? Put simply, those are the blue or black panels we increasingly see on building rooftops, car parks and large farms out in the middle of nowhere. They absorb sunlight and convert it directly into electricity. No noise, no smoke, no moving parts. It's almost magic!

• Is it clean? Yes, very much so. During operation, solar energy emits no greenhouse gases whatsoever. The "dirt" associated with it lies in the manufacturing of the panels, which consumes energy and resources. However, over its lifetime (25 to 30 years), a solar panel generates many, many times over the energy that was spent producing it. It's like a "carbon investment" that pays for itself quickly.

• Is it cheap? This is the best part of the story. Ten or fifteen years ago, the answer would have been "no". It was a niche, expensive technology. Today, the answer is a resounding "yes". The cost of solar panels has plummeted by more than 80% over the last decade. So much so that homes are now generating their own power from solar. For large power plants, solar energy already wins auctions against other sources, proving to be one of the cheapest in the country. The fuel, sunlight, is free and abundant.

• Is it renewable? Completely. As long as the sun shines, we'll have energy.

• Is it possible in Brazil? Not only is it possible, it's a national calling. Brazil has one of the highest solar irradiation rates in the world. Even our "worst" sun, in the south of the country, is better than the "best" sun in countries like Germany, which is a solar power powerhouse. We have space, we have land and we have sun to spare, from the far north to the far south. The expansion of "solar farms" in the Brazilian Northeast is living proof of this enormous potential.

Wind Energy: The Power of the Winds on Our Side

What is it? These are the famous "giant pinwheels" or, technically, wind turbines. They use the force of the wind to spin enormous blades, which in turn drive a generator and produce electricity. It's the same principle as old-fashioned windmills, just on a monumental scale.

• Is it clean? Yes. Like solar, its operation emits no pollutants. Criticism tends to focus on visual impact on the landscape and noise, as well as risks to birds. These are important issues that need to be managed with planning and technology, but compared to the impact of a hydroelectric or thermal power plant, they are considerably smaller.

• Is it cheap? Yes, and highly competitive. Wind energy has become one of the cheapest sources of electricity generation in Brazil and worldwide. As with solar, once the investment in building the tower has been made, the fuel (wind) is free. Turbine efficiency has improved so much that they now generate more and more energy even with less intense winds.

• Is it renewable? Absolutely. Wind is a natural phenomenon generated by temperature differences in the atmosphere, an inexhaustible resource.

• Is it possible in Brazil? Brazil is blessed with some of the best winds on the planet for power generation. The wind along the Northeastern coast is strong, constant and predictable, almost like clockwork. This makes wind power production in the region extremely efficient and cheap. But the potential doesn't stop there. The South of the country also has great capacity, and the potential of offshore wind (out at sea), where winds are even stronger and steadier, is now being explored.

Important note on Solar and Wind: The main criticism levelled at these two sources is their intermittency. In other words, there's no sun at night and the wind can stop blowing. This is where the idea of a "system" becomes crucial. They don't need to solve everything on their own.

Biomass: Energy That Comes from the Land

What is it? It's energy generated by burning organic matter. It sounds rustic, but it's a sophisticated technology that's vital for Brazil. The main source here is sugarcane bagasse. After the cane is crushed to make sugar and ethanol, a mountain of bagasse is left over. Rather than being a problem, this residue is burned in boilers to generate steam, which spins turbines and produces electricity. Other sources include wood waste, rice husks and even biogas from landfills and animal waste.

• Is it clean? Here there's some debate. Burning biomass does release CO2, yes. However, the logic is that this is "carbon neutral". The plant (sugarcane, for example) absorbed CO2 from the atmosphere as it grew. When burned, it releases that same CO2 back. Unlike a fossil fuel, which releases carbon that has been stored for millions of years, biomass operates within a short cycle. It solves a waste problem and generates energy at the same time.

• Is it cheap? Yes, especially when the fuel is a by-product of another industry, as is the case with sugarcane. The sugar and ethanol plant already has the bagasse right there, for free. Turning it into electricity is a way of generating new revenue while also powering the plant itself.

• Is it renewable? Yes, since it's based on planting and harvesting cycles. As long as we keep planting, we'll have biomass.

• Is it possible in Brazil? Brazil is an agribusiness superpower, which consequently makes us a potential biomass superpower too. The integration between food/biofuel production and electricity generation is one of our greatest strategic advantages. We have sugarcane, soybeans, maize, planted forests, and urban and rural waste production that can be converted into energy.

Hydropower: The Sleeping and Controversial Giant

What is it? The backbone of our system. Damming a river to create a reservoir and using the force of falling water to spin turbines.

• Is it clean? This is the big controversy. It doesn't burn fossil fuels, so for a long time it was sold as "clean energy". Today, we know it's not that simple. The construction of large dams, especially in the Amazon, causes brutal social and environmental impact: it floods enormous areas of forest, displaces entire communities and emits methane (a greenhouse gas far more potent than CO2) from the decomposition of submerged organic matter.

• Is it cheap? Once built and paid off, running a hydroelectric plant is relatively cheap. The problem is the enormous upfront cost of the works, the long years of construction and, as Brazilians know all too well, the budgets that balloon out of control and the corruption cases frequently associated with them. What's more, when reservoirs run low due to lack of rain, hydroelectric power "disappears" and we have to bring in expensive, polluting thermal power plants, which sends our electricity bills soaring.

• Is it renewable? Yes, since it depends on the rainfall cycle.

• Is it possible in Brazil? Brazil has already tapped most of its more accessible hydroelectric potential. The future of hydropower in Brazil doesn't lie in building new mega-dams in sensitive areas, but rather in modernising existing plants so they generate more energy with the same amount of water, and investing in SHPs (Small Hydropower Plants), which have a much smaller environmental impact.

The Energy Orchestra: The Solution Isn't a Single Note

The mistake we made for decades was betting almost all our chips on a single source: large hydroelectric plants. The secret to a robust, cheap and clean energy system isn't finding one single perfect source, but rather conducting an orchestra with all of them.

• Solar and Wind are the violins and the wind section: they produce beautiful, cheap energy, but intermittently. They shine during the day (solar) and with strong winds (wind, which tends to be stronger at night along the coast, complementing solar).

• Biomass is the double bass: steady, constant and schedulable. It can be switched on at any moment, as long as there's a stock of raw material. It steps in when the sun sets and the wind drops, ensuring stability.

• Hydropower (modernised and well managed) is the conductor and the percussion: it functions as a giant battery. When there's plenty of sun and wind, we can save the water in the reservoirs. When the intermittent sources fall short, we open the floodgates to guarantee supply. It sets the pace and provides the security for the whole system.

In this orchestra, one source covers for the weakness of another. Diversity is the key to security.

A Bright Future Within Our Reach

When we look at this menu, the feeling of discontent turns into indignation, but what NewSun wants is to sow hope. That indignation comes from realising that we have all these fantastic options available, yet for decades we've been held hostage by a centralised, expensive and often corrupt model.

The hope comes from knowing that Brazil's energy future doesn't depend on discovering some miracle technology. The solutions already exist, they're viable, and they're getting cheaper by the day. Our role, as consumers and citizens, is to get to know this menu and hold the "chefs" — government, regulatory agencies and companies — accountable for cooking up the right dish.

Demand less bureaucracy for installing solar panels. Push for more wind and solar energy auctions. Encourage policies that turn waste into electricity. Call for the modernisation of existing plants instead of pharaonic ventures.

Brazil doesn't need to choose between development and the environment. It doesn't need to be held hostage by the rain to have cheap energy. We have sun, wind, land and water. We have a clean, cheap and renewable energy future knocking at our door. We just need the courage to open it. NewSun invites you to dive headfirst into this new phase, backed by scientific knowledge and already-proven technology, pursuing energy efficiency and results across every area: from financial savings to the preservation of our planet.