ESTIMATING CARBON CREDITS FROM RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION IN ISOLATED COMMUNITIES OF THE AMAZON

In this study, carbon credits were estimated by implementing a renewable energy generation project in a community of the Amazon. First, models for calculating greenhouse gases (GHGs) from renewable energy generation were identified from the methodology for small-scale Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects. Next, the community’s annual energy demand was estimated and verified for all demand types; a total demand of 18.7 kW was obtained for a projected annual consumption of 296.9 MWh. Based on this result, the AMS I.L (electrification of rural communities using renewable energy) model was selected as most reflected the local reality. With this model, a reduction of 337.9 tCO2 emissions per year was observed, achieving a total of 3.379 tCO2 for a CDM project with duration of 10 years. This represent a value of US$ 40,041.15 (corresponding to R$ 90,713.23) could be obtained from sequestered tons of CO2.