Abstract
This book chapter provides an overview of the digitalization process in the electricity sector, highlighting its relation and contribution to the energy transition to a low-carbon system and its current scenario in Brazil. First, we systematize the main technologies related to digitalization. From this, we identify the segments of the electricity sector in which these technologies can be applied to assist energy transition. Then, we evaluate how these elements are evolving in the Brazilian electricity system through the investigation of government initiatives and the historical (2008–2021) of Research and Development (R&D) projects. We found 263 projects related to digitalization, which represents only around 10% of the total number of projects. Digitization contributes to the energy transition by providing technologies that optimize the generation and efficient energy use, allowing greater penetration of renewables and better use of energy resources. However, for this, it is necessary to restructure market and regulatory models. Although the Brazilian government has been developing some plans and strategies for technologies such as the Internet of Things, cyber security and overall digitalization issues, few practical structural changes were identified. Thus, digitalization in the Brazilian electricity sector is still in its infancy, with a need for initiatives to speed up reforms and to make the most of the national renewable energy potential.
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Acknowledgements
Stefania Relva and Vinícius Silva thank especially Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, for the scholarship. This work was partially financed by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior. Maria Rogieri Pelissari thanks the financial support of grant Process 2019/07995-4 from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and the support from the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brazil (CAPES) (Code 001). All the authors thank the support of the RCGI—Research Centre for Gas Innovation, hosted by the University of São Paulo (USP) and sponsored by FAPESP—São Paulo Research Foundation (2014/50279-4 and 2020/15230-5) and Shell Brazil, and the strategic importance of the support given by ANP (Brazil’s National Oil, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency) through the R&D levy regulation. Peyerl thanks the current financial support of grant Process 2017/18208-8, 2018/26388-9, FAPESP. Stefania Relva acknowledges the friend and engineer Felipe Oucharski who provide important reflections about the digitalization process in power engineering.
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Relva, S.G., Pelissari, M.R., da Silva, V.O., Peyerl, D. (2023). Digitalization in the Brazilian Electricity Sector. In: Peyerl, D., Relva, S., Da Silva, V. (eds) Energy Transition in Brazil. The Latin American Studies Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21033-4_6
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