Innovation and sustainability in energy production: the case of wind power generating system in Brazil

Abstract

This paper aims to determine how actions by the Brazilian wind power generating system are related to the economic, social, and environmental prospects characterizing sustainable innovations. It argues that energy issues are at the core of human development throughout its history and that, due to the current climate change scenery, the development of alternative energy sources is of paramount importance nowadays. Methodologically, the study may be regarded as exploratory and descriptive with regard to its purposes and as bibliographic with regard to its means. Primary data from national, regional, and global wind power agencies were used to improve the consistency of information gathered as well as the work as a whole. The results show that the wind power generating system is structured around a series of public institutions, autarchies, research associations, and other stakeholders which demonstrate an increasing interest in developing the sector in the country. Data also indicate that the values ​​achieved in the last wind power auctions have shown the competitiveness potential of this energy source when compared to the other ones. In Conclusion, one can see that the pillars of sustainability may be observed in virtually all matters concerning the implementation of new wind power farms, but the economic dimension is still the most prominent one, making the social and environmental dimensions dependent on the ability of this energy source to compete with the others.