Renewable energy generation clusters for the brazilian sugar-energy sector

Abstract

The sugarcane-energy sector is crucial to Brazil's sustainable development, among other reasons, due to the environmental benefits generated, especially in renewable energy generation. To address the challenges facing this sector, this study aimed to spatially group sugarcane-energy plants using the Skater clustering methodology and, thus, propose an industrial cluster policy for the industry. To this end, data on electricity generation from sugarcane bagasse in Brazil were used, as well as data on the location of universities and research centers linked to the sector, the distances between plants and power transmission substations, and other variables representing the logistics of the sugarcane-energy sector. As a result, the optimal number of clusters was estimated at seven. Based on the results obtained, it was found that the largest clusters, in terms of number of companies, encompass the traditional sugarcane-producing regions, where most sugarcane-energy companies are located. These larger clusters are in: a) the southern region, the western part of the southeastern region, and the south of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul; b) the eastern part of the southeastern region; c) the coast of the northeastern region. The remaining clusters are distributed throughout the rest of Brazil but are equally important from an economic and technological perspective, despite having a smaller number of companies. Some bottlenecks regarding technological modernization, logistics, and energy dispatch have been identified. Therefore, clustering is important for solving sector problems by considering the diverse regional characteristics.

Keywords: spatial cluster; bioenergy; sustainable development; energy policy.