Gewessler, Hörl, Wolkinger

Course: Energy and Sustainable Course: Energy and Sustainable DevelopmentDevelopment

• Energy Consumption, CO2 Emissions, GDP and Population ↑

• potential of being self-sufficient in primary energy

• 74% fossil, 26% renewable but huge differences among countries

Energy consumption in Latin Energy consumption in Latin America:America:

Policy and Public awareness:Policy and Public awareness:

• Resource Nationalism

• Unstable political regimes → conflicts

• Public awareness very low but many projects and efforts are under way

• Income inequality

Renewable Energy Share in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2007

• Interconnections between countries planned, ongoing projects

• 2003: harmonization Columbia and Ecuador

• Different power frequencies in North and South (interconnections difficult)

• Investment in energy supply infrastructure might be too low according to a report by the Deutsche Bank (2007)

Power Grid Network Structure in Latin America

• High potential – Sun Belt Region

• Few installations yet

• First solar energy park planned in Argentina with a maximum installed potential of 1.2 megawatts

World Map: Amount of Insolation

• potential for wind power is

extraordinarily high• Brazil: 140 GW• Central America/Caribbean:

100GW• Mexico: 40 GW

• wind parks planned or under construction

• Capacity will rise up to 46 GW by 2025

• Brazil’s market size will reach ca. 70% of total installed capacity in LA

Latin American Wind Potential per Country

Wind Energy Production Capacity for Latin

America 1997-2009

• 2007: 660.424 Billion Kilowatt-hours by Hydro Power Plants

• Brazil: 96% of electricity by hydropower (world leader in hydroelectric plants)

• many multi-scale facilities

• potential for small hydroelectric technologies

• high rainfall indices small hydroelectric technologies interesting for remote areas

Itaipu dam Brazil

• Instead of burning, it is possible to use plants as a carbon sink

• store energy in a simply and cost effective way

• trees provide a natural source of energy and additionally carbon-free building materials

• growing biomass is a cheaper and more sustainable energy source than fossil fuels

Currently used biomass energy technologies (CBETs) negative effects:

• low thermal efficiency• significant emissions• leads to respiratory and heart ailments, tuberculosis and blindness• emissions of long-lived (CH4) and short-lived (CO)• significant greenhouse effects• leads to warming of the lower atmosphere• influence water budgets on a regional scale

Advanced biomass energy technologies (ABETs) positive effects:

• deliver higher thermal efficiencies• lower emissions of pollutants• energy savings• co-benefits to health effects• climate change mitigation• assess the barriers to their widespread diffusion

• billion of men, woman and children are forced to live in absolute poverty

• current strategic energy models provide mega cities with energy but not local rural areas

• balance interests between economic growth and the supply of local energy services for poverty reduction

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSM8NA0xhWI