Challenges of South American energy transition: energy efficiency and distributed generation

Abstract

In South America two energy-related challenges may be identified. In the first place, it is necessary to make energy systems more efficient as a means of ensuring universal access to adequate energy services, while at the same time making a sustainable use of available resources. In the second place, a new paradigm of energy generation and consumption emerges in the form of distributed generation. National trajectories towards energy efficiency and distributed generation are relatively recent, and have different levels of development. Most countries in the region are implementing programs and regulations which call for the installation of low-consumption equipment and promote efficient practices. Regarding distributed generation, most South American countries are still in the initial phase, some have already obtained interesting results, while others have had no practical experiences or legal development. This chapter addresses the situation of South American countries in the realm of distributed generation and energy efficiency. Public policies and incentive mechanisms are analyzed for each country, as well as the results achieved through their implementation.