This article analyses the current state of the debate over competition for land use, by means of an index of the main arguments in favor and against the production of liquid biofuels and the impacts on food production. Based on this index, an analytic framework is constructed to establish the...

This study analyses the Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) potential in Brazil and evaluates the impact caused by a large-scale integration of this alternative into the Brazilian electricity system in the long term (horizon 2040). Four types of CSP plants with parabolic troughs (simple plants,...

Several studies have proposed different tools for analyzing the integration of variable renewable energy into power grids. This study applies an optimization tool to model the expansion of the electric power system in northeastern Brazil, enabling the most efficient dispatch of the variable...

The more stringent environmental quality specifications for oil products worldwide are tending to step up energy use and, consequently, CO2 emissions at refineries. In Brazil, for example, the stipulated reduction in the sulfur content of diesel and gasoline between 2002 and 2009 should increase...

Several studies hypothetically assume that investors are increasingly using socio-environmental criteria to configure their portfolios. If this is true, oil companies should strive to achieve an environmentally correct image, especially by adhering to sustainability indexes in the capital...

A large share of Brazil's current investments is concentrated in the development of petroleum resources in new frontiers. Perspectives for large offshore pre-salt fields are particularly good. However, challenges are also huge. On one hand, pre-salt resources development will draw vast amounts...