Shale Gas and the Replacement of Coal-Fired Power Plants

This article aims to analyze the role played by the shale gas supply in the substitution of coal-fired power plants by gas-fired systems in the USA and the possible implications for the Brazilian electricity generation sector. It is known that energetic resources availability affects the energy demand and its end-use. An example of this was the American shale gas boom, a process that peaked around 2005. By studying the economical and environmental contexts that guided this so called revolution, with oil and gas productions, prices, and changes in the numbers of thermal power plants and in the installed capacity by type, we were able to question the role of the natural gas as a driving force to effective changes towards a low carbon future and discuss potential benefits its adoption.