The industrial electric motor is the most important load, considering its large number and associated energy consumption, being responsible for approximately 68% of the industrial energy consumption and 35% of the total electrical energy consumption in Brazil. This country, like others, is...

The Ministry of Energy and Mines of Nicaragua (MEM) is planning to launch in 2013 a massive replacement program of 2 million incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). This paper explores the expected impacts on a 10 year basis (2013–2023) using cost/benefit analysis for...

Despite the need to reduce greenhouse gases, thermoelectric power plants were the main winners in electricity auctions held until 2009. This study evaluates the possibility of improving the prospects of increasing the clean and renewable energy mix. The new official energy plan for 2030,...

The poor quality of electrical power in Brazil has led to an increase in the sales of power conditioning equipment such as uninterruptible power systems (UPS) to supply a voltage wave shape without distortion or interruption. However, there are indications that the average performance of the UPS...

This article aims to investigate the introduction, sustenance and consolidation of bioethanol in Brazil. It presents an analysis of its introductory stage, from the first decades of the 20th century until the early 1970s, when, in a second stage, additional measures allowed for its consolidation...

In this paper the precautionary principle is reviewed alongside the process of international implementation. Adoption of the precautionary principle is advocated to deal with energy choices as a mechanism to account for potential climate change impacts, notwithstanding the debate on scientific...

In October 2008, the Brazilian Government announced plans to invest US$212 billion in the construction of nuclear power plants, totaling a joint capacity of 60,000MW. Apart from this program, officials had already announced the completion of the construction of the nuclear plant Angra III; the...