Economia circular para energias renováveis a partir do biogás: uma análise da transição para sustentabilidade

Abstract

Discussions about sustainability have advanced over the past few years, and the generation of energy from renewable sources is an important measure in this context. The production of biogas through the proper treatment of agricultural waste is an alternative for generating clean energy, with great potential for exploration in Brazil and which reduces the environmental impact of other economic activities already carried out. This type of generation can be considered a technological niche, which needs to be stimulated until it becomes economically viable in view of other forms of generation already established. The municipality of Entre Rios do OestePR, with approximately 4,000 inhabitants, whose main economic activity is pig farming, has established an interesting arrangement to encourage the production of energy through biogas. Through the joint action of various actors such as the Municipal governments, energy concessionaire, farmers, and technical bodies, it was possible to implement a gas pipeline network in the city, interconnecting several properties. Thus, waste from pig farming, previously discarded in the environment, started to be treated in biodigesters, and biogas is purchased by the Municipal government for energy generation. Through a qualitative case study, with crosssectional and longitudinal evaluation, we could understand the driving elements and barriers in the transition to sustainability through the Circular Economy initiatives implemented for the generation of renewable energy in the municipality. The analytical framework used combined the Multilevel Perspective (MLP) and the Strategic Niche Management (SNM). The sources of information used were the study of the existing literature on the subject, analysis of sector documents and semistructured interviews conducted with relevant actors in the process. Through the analysis of historical aspects of the use of biogas in the state, it was concluded that the changes in the socio-technical landscape pressed the established regime, allowing a window of opportunity to open up for niche initiatives, such as energy generation through biogas. The main stakeholders involved were also identified and the processes mentioned in the SNM were evaluated. Finally, the main driving and barriers for Circular Economy initiatives in renewable energies in the transition to sustainability in Entre Rios do Oeste-PR were mapped and classified.