The New Model of Brazil’s Power Sector: Why 2026 Marks the Turning Point Between Renewables and Energy Security
Brazil reached 2026 with 88.2% of its electricity generated by renewable sources, one of the cleanest matrices on the planet. Paradoxically, the government has just held the largest thermal auction in the country's history, contracting 19 GW of power for R$64.5 billion to guarantee energy security until the next decade. This article analyzes why this apparent paradox is, in fact, the most important structural change in the national electricity sector: Brazil stopped being hydrodependent and started operating a multitechnology system, more complex, more expensive and, at the same time, more resilient.