Energy and greenhouse gas emission potential of Northwest Mesoregion of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Energy is indispensable for the global functioning of the economy. However, when using fossil fuels, the effects on the environment have been shown to be quite harmful, according to data from the IPCC, the UN body responsible for controlling carbon dioxide emissions and causing the atmosphere to heat up or the greenhouse effect. Thus generating energy from renewable sources is important to create a future scenario of technological and economic development without damage to our habitat. In this work, we analyze data from intensive swine farming in the Northwest Mesoregion of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, to present the wasted energy potential by not transforming the biogas from the activity into electricity and how much this volume of gas generates from dioxide carbon equivalent directly into the atmosphere. By analyzing this region, with data from the Secretariat of Agriculture and Livestock, it was possible to determine an energy potential above 13 thousand cubic meters per hour (13,000 m3/h) of biogas, which means an energy potential for transformation of 37 MWh and an emission of CO2 greater than 6.5 tCO2e/h, in a conversion between the potential of Methane (21 times more polluting than CO2) contained in the biogas in a concentration around 60% and that brings a considerable calorific power to transform this biogas into electricity. For this purpose, the rules of Aneel Resolution 482/2012 and revised by 687/2015 will be used, which allows energy compensation for renewable energy thrown directly into the electricity distribution network from the application of biodigesters. Through the analysis carried out it was possible to determine that there is a high potential to generate electricity and reduce the emission of gases that cause the greenhouse effect in this region, as it concentrates, a large volume of swines in intensive livestock.