Ethanol's impact on Brazilian energy security.

摘要

To test the impact that ethanol has had on Brazilian energy security, this study analyzed the biofuel's performance since 2003. As a growing fuel source in Brazil, it was crucial to establish if ethanol had in the past seven years contributed positively to strengthening the country's energy security. Ethanol's consumption, demand, production, prices and ability to decrease Brazil's dependence on foreign supplies were compared to gasoline's, thus, providing a basis to determine its overall performance. The results indicate that ethanol has increased Brazilian energy security, although it still shows weaknesses that need to be addressed.