Where is the clean energy? Contradictions in the discourse of wind farms in Northeast Brazil

Keywords: Renewable source, Wind Energy, Political Ecology, Brazilian Northeast
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 09:40 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 11:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 11

Abstract

In recent years, Brazilian wind energy has been growing rapidly, and by 2021, it is the second main source of energy, behind only hydroelectricity. It is estimated that by 2024 the installed capacity will exceed 30 GW. The northeast of Brazil is the region that concentrates the most wind farms, with more than 85% of the country's wind capacity. In this context, this paper presents some reflections on the discourse of "clean" energy from wind power, from its environmental, social and economic bases, widely defended and supported by the government. The research highlights the similarity in the installation process in the Northeastern states, and the defense of speech of job generation, income improvement, and quality of life in the communities. However, most of these wind farms are on the coastal plain, a very unstable area that includes environments of dunes, coastal sandbanks, mangroves, lagoons, and diverse fauna. From the literature based on political ecology and energy geography, it was observed that the impacts of the installation affect the environment, and the traditional communities inserted there, especially small fishermen and shellfish gatherers, who began to have their daily lives and their economic and social activities altered after the installation of wind farms in their communities.