Barriers to the Transfer of Low-carbon Electricity Generation Technologies in Four Latin American Countries

Abstract

This article discusses the conclusions of four national Technology Needs Assessment (TNA) processes in Latin America (2011-2013), as applied to the electricity sector. The primary focus is on the financial and economic barriers identified by countries to the transfer of prioritized low-carbon energy technologies. While many electricity markets in Latin America were liberalized during the 1990s and 2000s, such market-driven reform policies were far from uniform and in reality there exist a diversity of governance frameworks for national electricity markets, exemplified here by Argentina, Cuba, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. As such, we compare the identified barriers against the key characteristics of the national electricity sectors and natural resource base, in order to evaluate the relative significance of these barriers. In doing so, we make an indicative contribution to the debate about the relationship between financial and economic barriers to technology transfer and electricity market structures, based on a new round of country-driven priorities and analysis, in support of the UNFCCC process on climate change mitigation.

Keywords:

• economic barriers
• electricity sector
• Latin America
• technology needs assessment