Last-mile rural electrification: Lessons learned from universalization programs in Brazil and Venezuela
Many countries are still facing a common hurdle: last-mile rural electrification. Great skill is required to face this challenge, which generally involves the most isolated, inaccessible and complex regions. Many Latin American countries have already undertaken universal access to energy schemes and...
| Autores: | , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2022 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/372976 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/372976 https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2022.113080 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Rural electrification Developing countries Renewable energy sources Rural electrification programs Emerging economies Remote energy access Sustainability Multi-criteria assessment Renewable energy Electrificació rural Països en vies de desenvolupament Energies renovables Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria mecànica |
| Sumario: | Many countries are still facing a common hurdle: last-mile rural electrification. Great skill is required to face this challenge, which generally involves the most isolated, inaccessible and complex regions. Many Latin American countries have already undertaken universal access to energy schemes and have built an experience base that, if shared, can add a wealth of knowledge to facilitate the implementation of future initiatives. In this regard, this work evaluates the sustainability of the main electrification initiatives developed in Brazil and Venezuela, by performing an ex-post comparative multicriteria evaluation on 18 quantitative and qualitative social, institutional, economic, technical and managerial indicators. Eight discussion threads are drawn from the programs’ design and implementation strategies and outcomes. The main insights are: the suitability of renewable-based distributed energy resources for covering last-mile rural electrification; the effectiveness of a private context for the development of the technological market and the creation of policy instruments; and the effectiveness of a public context to implement a greater diversity of technological solutions focused on improving social well-being. The lessons learned aim to guide rural electrification promoters and decision makers in developing more sustainable and successful last-mile electrification initiatives. |
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