Milton Flávio Marques Lautenschlager

The Sub-secretary of Energy for Sao Paulo has a very impressive name. We met with him last Tuesday and discussed the Paulista Energy Plan (PEP). The main goal of the PEP is to increase renewable energy usage in Sao Paulo from 55% to 69% by 2020. Since the hydroelectric power of Sao Paulo is already maxed out, the main focus will be on wind power, solar power, and biodiesel/ethanol production.

Wind power in Sao Paulo is currently nonexistent; there are no wind farms in the whole state of Sao Paulo. And compared to Germany, one of the leading countries for solar power,  Brazil has more potential for harnessing solar power. As for ethanol use, if the PEP goes according to plant then all cars in Sao Paulo state will be able to use flex fuels (ethanol and gasoline mixture) by 2020. While these goals may seem difficult to achieve, I believe that with the right methods and technologies Sao Paulo state will reach the goals set by the PEP.

Something I found interesting was Lautenschlager's apprehensiveness towards hydraulic fracturing (fracking). He believes that risking contamination of water reserves and sources of water for the public is not a smart idea. He also mentioned that the actions of the USA with regards to fracking serve as a warning for Brazil.

Look! We made it to their website! We're famous!
http://www.energia.sp.gov.br/lenoticia.php?id=530