* A technique to show the total energy consumption in Brazil in a clear, concise and simple way would be to do a pie chart. To do this: multiply each percentage given by 3.6 e.g. 49% x 3.6=176.4 degrees which shows how many degrees of the 360 degree pie chart would be taken up by oil consumption. Start at the vertical and do the same for all the other percentages until the circle is full up. The pie chart creates a visual model, which people can use when comparing different data sets. Using different colours, pie charts divide information into sections resembling pie slices. The effectiveness of pie charts for examining percentages lies in audience members immediately understanding what you intend to communicate. The simple presentation of data makes it accessible to audiences of all ages and education levels. * HEP refers to hydroelectric power which is generated by the movement of water or any hydraulic source for example a dam. According to Figure P3, Hep is the second most consumed energy type at 36% after oil at 49% meaning it’s the most consumed renewable energy. This demonstrates how important to the Brazilian government HEP energy is. Brazil has successfully transitioned from importing almost 80 percent of its total oil consumption in the 1970s to becoming virtually energy independent and a leader in renewable energy. Nearly half of Brazil’s energy comes from renewable sources compared to an average of less than 20 percent for the rest of the world. Hydroelectric power plants are responsible for over 75 percent of the electric energy generated in the country. Though the share of hydropower in the energy matrix is expected to decrease from 76 percent to 67 percent, generation from alternative resources such as wind, thermal biomass and small hydroelectric plants together will double from 8 percent to 16 percent over the 10-year period. Notably, wind generation is expected to increase from 1 percent to 7 percent of Brazil’s energy mix during this time period. As the item states “increasing domestic oil production has been a long term aim of the Brazilian government, and recent discoveries of large offshore oil deposits could change Brazil into one of the largest oil producers in the world”. The government are very keen to not solely rely on energy types such as oil that is non-renewable and want to take advantage of the Amazon which is a large attribute to the country. Currently over 100 dams are already in place and there’s construction plans to build a new HEP complex called the Belo Monte Dam complex composed up of three dams. Overall, its evident that HEP plays a large role in Brazil’s energy mix and that politically, Brazil’s keen for it to play an even bigger role along with other renewable energy types. * With many renewables being dependent on climate such as wind, solar, HEP, tidal and wave power, climatic changes and variations can cause set backs when deciding whether to extend renewable energy supplies.
An example would be the Belo Monte Dam. Despite it not being completed yet, there are worries about the dam’s efficiency as where it’s positioned along the Xingu river near the city of Altamira, there is a 4 month dry season which means the dam wouldn’t be able to operate as much. This shows how HEP is dependent on water/precipitation variations in order for it to be a productive and efficient renewable energy source/supply.
The climate of Brazil varies with it being such a huge country. 90% of the country is in the tropical zone and the climate varies considerably from mostly the tropical north to the temperate south. In cities along the east coast such as Rio de Janeiro, Recife and Salvador have warm climates and have constant trade winds, which makes them suitable areas for wind power development. However as with dams being dependent on inputs such as rain, wind turbines would be dependent on trade winds and their strength posing implications as to their efficiency.
