The Industrial Revolution is the historical mark in the progressive transformation process in many human areas, especially in the economy, social relations, technology, and environment. The causes and consequences of global climate change are strongly linked to these four aspects, and analyzing them allows a better understanding.

This action has been happening along the years, with the unregulated development of nations characterized by the use of fossil fuels, which are formed by the decomposition of organic matter in a thousand years process. Thus, this kind of energy source is not renewable along the human time line, even though it keeps being formed by Nature in a geological time line. Mineral coal, petroleum derivatives (like gasoline, diesel oil, fuel oil, LPG – kitchen gas – and others) as well as natural gas, are the most commonly known and used fossil fuels.

Looking at this scenario, the search for renewable resources to substitute the present energy matrix and satisfy modern society needs is the alternative solution, as:

1. conventional systems have been incapable of adequately satisfying energy demands in an equitable and sustainable way;
2. there is a strong negative impact upon the environment from the conventional manner of producing and consuming energy;
3. the generation of renewable energy is especially capable to satisfy the energy needs of rural and remote communities;
4. the use of renewable energy sources for the generation of energy has as main characteristic “zero carbon emission”; the production of energy and heat through renewable energy does not result in the emission of greenhouse effect gases. Therefore, renewable energy projects have an enormous potential for generating carbon credits.

The amount of renewable energy production is still small at the moment, if compared with the 95% of world energy produced from fossil resources.  This happens because of the many existing barriers for the implementation of renewable energy projects.

Amongst the barriers those projects face, we have:

1. the difference in  market prices  compared to conventional energy, which is cheaper, as the negative effects on the environment do not reflect its costs;
2. meteorological variables related to some of the renewable sources and project localization, as the majority are small scale projects. This insecurity ends up raising difficulties in the financing process due to risks and variables.

The change of the energy matrix, substituting energy from fossil fuels for energy from a renewable source, is an indispensable factor in the stabilization of the greenhouse gas in our atmosphere.

This substitution can be accomplished in a vast field, where industrial production residues (bagasse, rice husks, black liquor, etc.) are reused and generate energy from the burning of those residues.

Examples of Renewable Energy projects:

- HYDROELECTRICS
- SMALL HYDROELETRIC CENTERS
- AEOLIC ENERGY PRODUCTION
- BIOMASS FROM FOREST RESIDUES
- BIOMASS FROM SUGAR CANE RESIDUES