BRAZILIAN DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME AND ELECTRICITY GENERATION

Abstract

Brazilian Daylight Saving Time consists of advancing the (official) Legal Time of certain states by one hour. It is adopted with a view to limiting the maximum load to which the electric system is subject in the period of the year with the highest consumption, increasing the reliability of the National Electric System. This article analyzes and discusses the electrical situation in Brazil to justify, or not, the adoption of daylight saving time. In addition, it discusses the economic, social, cultural and health effects resulting from the artificial alteration of clocks during the summer. Consumption data (load) recorded during the summer of 2024, and electricity generation data in this period were analyzed. These data were collected from the records of the institutional bodies of the country's energy sector: ANEEL, ONS, EPE, CCEE, and other similar bodies. To discuss social and cultural impacts, journalistic reports on the subject were analyzed, and to assess possible impacts on human health, scientific articles of related research were analyzed. It resulted that the application of daylight saving time this year does not bring benefits to the National Electric System and has no effect on the maximum demand that occurs during the afternoon. The level of the SIN reservoirs has improved and there is a contribution from wind and solar sources, generating significant amounts of energy, precisely at times of greater demand. The seasonal daylight saving time that affects people's circadian cycle, negatively impacting the health of the population, causing many disorders ranging from insomnia and hunger, to cardiovascular accidents, through tiredness, inattention, lack of energy and traffic accidents, is not justified.