Rio de Janeiro, November 17 (NNN-RHC)-- The research firm GlobalData has predicted that Brazil will overtake the United States as the world’s top market for bio-energy.

The U.S. remains the world’s global biopower leader so far, but Brazil is expected to increase its countrywide biopower installed capacity from 11.51 gigawatts (GW) in 2013 to an estimated 17.1 GW by 2018, to become the world’s main market.

Bioenergy is the use of any organic material to generate electricity. It is also known as biomass power or bio-power. The U.S. has long been the global leader, but the report suggests outdated infrastructure and a bloated existing capacity that has saturated the market will lead to Americans being overtaken in four years’ time.

Government mandates from Brazil’s governing party will also help push the South American developing nation ahead of the U.S. “The nascent Brazilian market is being driven by the government,” Nagatham said, “which has made it necessary for local utility service providers to obtain at least 2 GW of installed biomass capacity through auctions annually, for 10 years from 2007.”

Nagatham posited although there is a possibility of feedstock supply interruptions from increased deforestation in certain parts of Brazil, the rise in sugarcane plantations and production is expected to compensate for that.

Emerging nations are adding renewable energy projects at nearly twice the rate of developed countries. A survey of 55 countries, including China, Brazil and South Africa, found combined renewable projects grew by 143 percent from 2008 to 2013, for a total of 142,000 megawatts.

Wealthier nations, by comparison, saw renewables jump by 84 percent to 213,000 megawatts.