When Energy Transition Does Not Meet Energy Poverty Mitigation: The Case of Ceará State in Brazil

Energy transitions should prioritize justice, ensuring universal and reliable energy access at an affordable price for lower-income groups. Our analysis focuses on the significant expansion of wind and photovoltaic energy in Brazil’s northeastern state of Ceará from 2012 to 2022, following the implementation of policies promoting renewable energy sources for the national electricity grid to understand if energy poverty was mitigated during the same period. Employing an exploratory methodology grounded in conceptual frameworks of energy transitions and energy poverty literature, we examine whether these state-level energy transition efforts have contributed to alleviating energy poverty. Using quantitative secondary data on demographics, economics, and the electricity industry in Brazil and Ceará, we investigated the relationship between energy transition trends and changes in energy poverty levels. Our findings indicate a rise in the financial burden on families due to electricity costs, coinciding with the proliferation of wind farms and photovoltaic systems. We underscore the importance of considering energy poverty concomitantly with the energy transition policies and discuss the implications of overlooking this aspect. Ultimately, our results offer insights to policymakers on balancing the imperative of emission reduction with the imperative of local development and equitable access to affordable, reliable energy resources, particularly for the economically disadvantaged communities of Ceará.