Factors Influencing Household Solar Adoption in Santiago, Chile

In Santiago, Chile, the market conditions are seemingly excellent for the household adoption of photovoltaic (PV) technology, yet the uptake is negligible. To explore this paradox, the authors conducted a Delphi study to solicit the knowledge of a panel of Chilean PV experts. These efforts yielded 26 factors—both motivations and barriers—impacting the diffusion of PV in Santiago. Of the 26, experts were in consensus on the relative importance of 21. The literature suggests that diffusion of PV technologies is influenced by complex technical, economic, and social factors. Similarly, the experts saw influence from financial, environmental, and energy supply (e.g., electrical reliability) factors. They saw emergent barriers to adoption as being financial, technical, institutional, and knowledge factors. They considered the most important factors influencing adoption to be financial motivations (e.g., subsidies) and financial barriers (e.g., high upfront costs); they considered the least important factors to be environmental motivations (e.g., environmental stewardship) and technical barriers (e.g., concerns with roof mounting). With this knowledge, the authors develop an adoption framework for household PV that describes the interaction among the identified motivations and barriers. This framework informs policy recommendations for Santiago, Chile, and contributes to the body of literature exploring the interconnected systems of factors that influence civil infrastructure in general and PV adoption in particular

Electricity Reform in Chile: Lessons for Developing Countries

Chile was the first country in the world to implement a comprehensive reform of itselectricity sector in the recent period. Among developing countries only Argentina hashad a comparably comprehensive and successful reform. This paper traces the history ofthe Chilean reform, which began in 1982, and assesses its progress and its lessons. Weconclude that the reform has been very successful. We suggest lessons for the generation,transmission and distribution sectors, as well as the economic regulation of electricity andthe general institutional environment favourable to reform. We note that while the initialmarket structure and regulatory arrangements did give rise to certain problems, theoverall experience argues strongly for the private ownership and operation of theelectricity industry

Electricity Reform in Chile: Lessons for Developing Countries

Chile was the first country in the world to implement a comprehensive reform of its electricity sector in the recent period. Among developing countries only Argentina has had a comparably comprehensive and successful reform. This paper traces the history of the Chilean reform, which began in 1982, and assesses its progress and its lessons. We conclude that the reform has been very successful. We suggest lessons for the generation, transmission and distribution sectors, as well as the economic regulation of electricity and the general institutional environment favourable to reform. We note that while the initial market structure and regulatory arrangements did give rise to certain problems, the overall experience argues strongly for the private ownership and operation of the electricity industry.Chile, electricity, restructuring, regulation, privatisation.

Lightning Activity Over Chilean Territory

This work presents the spatial distribution and temporal variability of lightning activity over the continental territory of Chile by means of Thunderstorms days (Td), on the basis of 7 years (2012–2018) of lightning measurement from World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN). Td are obtained separately for the 15 geopolitical regions of Chile, reporting the higher lightning activity in the northeastern region of the country with 85 thunderstorms days per year. These values are mainly located in the mountains between 2,000 and 5,000 m.a.s.l. where extensive mining activity is located and there are electrical facilities of great importance for Chile. The Td values obtained in this study update the information presented by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1953, so far the only one available for the entire Chilean territory. From the diurnal cycle analysis, there is a marked mono-modal behavior of lightning activity in the afternoon for latitudes between (Formula presented.) S and (Formula presented.) S (regions XV, I, and II) and a different behavior of lightning activity over the region between (Formula presented.) S and (Formula presented.) S (regions X, XI, and XII) known as Chilean Patagonia, due to special weather conditions in that area. Further more, the seasonal analysis showed that the highest lightning activity occurs in January and February and the lowest activity takes place between June and August. Once again, the Chilean Patagonia showed a different behavior because the highest activity is presented in May and August, and the lowest in September. The analysis and results presented here contribute to the knowledge of lightning activity in the region that has not been characterized before and can serve as a basis for future research to determine the behavior of this natural phenomenon.Fil: Montana, Johny. Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria.; ChileFil: Rodriguez Morales, Carlos Augusto. Universidade do Sao Paulo. Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas; BrasilFil: Nicora, Maria Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo Estratégico para la Defensa. Ministerio de Defensa. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo Estratégico para la Defensa; Argentina. Ministerio de Defensa. Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas para la Defensa; ArgentinaFil: Rey Ardila, Jorge. Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria.; ChileFil: Schurch, Roger. Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria.; ChileFil: Aranguren, D.. Keraunos; Colombi

Looming struggles over technology for border control

New technologies under development, capable of inflicting pain on masses of people, could be used for border control against asylum seekers. Implementation might be rationalized by the threat of mass migration due to climate change, nuclear disaster or exaggerated fears of refugees created by governments. We focus on taser anti-personnel mines, suggesting both technological countermeasures and ways of making the use of such technology politically counterproductive. We also outline several other types of ‘non-lethal’ technology that could be used for border control and raise human rights concerns: high-powered microwaves, armed robots, wireless tasers, acoustic devices/vortex rings, ionizing and pulsed energy lasers, chemical calmatives, convulsants, bioregulators and malodurants. Whether all these possible border technologies will be implemented is a matter for speculation, but their serious human rights implications warrant advance scrutiny

Volcanic alert system by lightning detection using the WWLLN - ash cloud monitor

Electrical discharges are observed in many volcanic eruptions and they have often been used as indicators of such eruptions. Volcanic lightning is remarkably similar to those produced during thunderstorms and is called analogous to thunderstorm-like plume lightning. The WWLLN developed a program called "Ash Cloud Monitor" (ACM), in which alerts are issued for possible volcanic eruptions when lightning strokes are detected around a volcano. The ACM tool has demonstrated to be a very effective technique to be aware of volcanic eruptions. However, most of the alerts released by ACM belong to false alarms of volcanic activity, because, in general, the detected lightning is produced by thunderstorms near the volcano. In order to assess and improve the ACM to detect volcanic eruptions, reducing false alert emissions and improving the quick interpretation of them, we develop a web platform called GeorayosVolcanoAr with a new structure and a modified algorithm, with respect to the algorithm used by ACM, for the classification of alerts. The new algorithm considers an alert system with 3 levels: Red - Yellow - Green, with the Red alert being the highest level and decreasing towards Green. The Red alert was assigned to those volcanoes where only recorded lightning within a radius of 20 km or the lightning detected within a radius of 20 km is at least twice as much as that detected up to 100 km from the vent. The study focused on 32 volcanoes located in the Andes, close to the Argentine-Chilean border, and analyzed the results reported by the ACM network in terms of a climatological study of the lightning activity, thunderstorm days and predominant winds in that region. This analysis serves as a basis for a general recognition of the study zone in order to improve the interpretation of the distribution and generation of false alerts; as well as to help decision makers, among others, to have a reference that allows them to issue the warning.Fil: Baissac, Daiana Marlene. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo Estratégico para la Defensa. Ministerio de Defensa. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo Estratégico para la Defensa; Argentina. Ministerio de Defensa; ArgentinaFil: Nicora, Maria Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo Estratégico para la Defensa. Ministerio de Defensa. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo Estratégico para la Defensa; Argentina. Ministerio de Defensa; ArgentinaFil: Bali, Juan Lucas. Ministerio de Defensa. Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas para la Defensa; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Badi, Gabriela A.. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; ArgentinaFil: Avila, Eldo Edgardo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

POLICY ALTERNATIVES IN REFORMING POWER UTILITIES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: A CRITICAL SURVEY

This paper examines the policy alternatives faced by developing countries in their endeavours to preserve and develop their electricity and gas systems, two service-oriented industries that - along with oil and coal - provide the bulk of the energy supply in both developed and developing countries. Even in very poor countries, industrially generated energy is indispensable for carrying out most economic activities. Therefore, Governments traditionally recognize that the supply of gas and electricity entails a fundamental public service dimension. Chapter I presents and defines the issues of liberalization, deregulation and privatization of energy utilities, and it attempts to locate energy reforms in a broader historical framework in which developing countries` Governments have faced increasing financial hardship. Chapter II reviews some experiences in energy sector reforms, focusing on some of the largest semi-industrialized countries in Latin America and Asia. A few remarks on the advisability of a flexible approach to reforming energy regimes in developing countries conclude the paper.

Analysis of the main drivers of CO2 emissions in different economies : the Spain and Chile cases

El cambio climático (CC) es uno de los grandes desafíos de la humanidad y una de las principales amenazas para el desarrollo sostenible, con grandes consecuencias económicas, sociales y ambientales. Por esta razón, es necesario reducir las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) a la atmósfera, con el dióxido de carbono (CO2) como el principal gas, y obtener una mayor eficiencia energética. Ambas acciones son clave para mitigar el cambio climático. Para conocer con precisión las relaciones entre las variables económicas, demográficas y el volumen de emisiones de GEI que posibilitan el desacoplamiento entre el crecimiento económico y estas emisiones, es necesario medir estas interacciones. A través de estas mediciones, será posible diseñar proyectos energéticos que ayuden a cumplir los objetivos propuestos y llevar a cabo un análisis de los principales determinantes que podrían llevar a conclusiones que ayuden a establecer líneas de acción. El objetivo de este proyecto de tesis doctoral es analizar los determinantes de las emisiones de CO2 en dos economías; la española y la chilena. Esta elección se debe al proyecto de investigación existente entre nuestro grupo de investigación y la Universidad Autónoma de Chile. Las principales contribuciones de esta tesis pueden resumirse brevemente de la siguiente manera: Por un lado, presentamos un análisis de los principales factores determinantes de las emisiones de CO2 en España para el período 1995-2009. Esta investigación lleva a cabo un análisis multisectorial basado en el método Log-Mean Divisia Index (LMDI I). Los factores de descomposición utilizados representan la carbonización del mix energético (CI), la intensidad del uso de la energía (EI), la estructura económica (ES), la actividad económica (EA) y la población (P). Los principales hallazgos muestran que las fuentes de energía renovables (RES, por sus siglas en inglés) actuaron como compensador de los impulsores de las emisiones de CO2. La tendencia positiva de la contribución de las RES en la matriz energética de España, junto con la tendencia negativa en el uso de combustibles fósiles, nos lleva a ser optimistas. Por otro lado, presentamos una evaluación de las emisiones de CO2 en Chile entre 1991 y 2013 utilizando un análisis basado en el método (LMDI I) para examinar las emisiones y sus componentes. Se consideraron seis factores de descomposición: efecto intensidad de carbono (CI), efecto penetración de RES (RES), efecto intensidad de energía (EI), efecto estructura de la economía (ES), efecto ingreso (Yp) y efecto población (P). Para saber cómo estos factores podrían influirse mutuamente en el futuro, se utilizó el Innovative Accounting Approach (IAA), que incluye el análisis de la descomposición de la varianza y la función impulso-respuesta (IRF, pos sus siglas en inglés). Estas dos metodologías nos permiten identificar las causas de los cambios en las emisiones de CO2 en el periodo (1991-2013), evaluar las medidas de política y aprender cómo estos factores podrían influirse mutuamente en el futuro, para evaluar si las medidas actuales cumplen los compromisos de París. Los resultados del análisis LMDI muestran que el factor intensidad de energía es el principal factor de compensación de las emisiones de CO2 en Chile y el único efecto con una clara tendencia a ayudar al desacoplamiento entre crecimiento económico y emisiones de GHG. Los resultados del IAA e IFRs se comportan de manera similar y confirman que el factor intensidad de carbono reacciona a los impactos de manera más significativa en el corto plazo. La reacción a RES tiene el mismo comportamiento y opuesto a los shocks en ES y Yp, para desaparecer a largo plazo. Estos hallazgos representan una contribución importante, no sólo para los investigadores sino también para las empresas y responsables políticos. Para nuestro conocimiento no existen análisis previos de los principales impulsores de CO2 en estas economías. Estos resultados podrían conducir a conclusiones que ayuden a establecer líneas de acción para diseñar proyectos energéticos que ayuden a luchar eficazmente contra el cambio climático.Change (CC) is one of the great challenges of humanity and one of the main threats to sustainable development, with great economic, social and environmental consequences. For this reason, it is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the atmosphere, with carbon dioxide (CO2) the main one, and obtain greater awareness of energy efficiency. Both actions are key to mitigate climate change. In order to know precisely the relationships between economic, demographic variables and the volume of GHG emissions to make possible the decoupling between economic growth and these emissions, it is necessary to develop indicators capable of analyzing these interactions. Through these indicators, it will be possible to design energy projects that help to meet the proposed objectives and carry out an analysis of the main determinants that could lead to conclusions that help to establish lines of action. The aim of this doctoral thesis project is to analyze the determinants of CO2 emissions in two economies: Spanish and Chilean. This choice is due to the existing research project between our research group and Universidad Autónoma de Chile. The main contributions of this thesis can be briefly summarized as follows: On the one hand, we present an analysis of main drivers of CO2 emissions in Spain for the 1995–2009 period. This research carries out a multisector analysis based on the Log-Mean Divisia Index Method (LMDI I). The decomposition factors used are the Carbon Intensity factor (CI), the Energy Intensity factor (EI), the structural composition of Spain's economy (Economy Structure, ES), the Economic Activity factor (EA) and Population (P), respectively. Major findings show that renewable energy sources (RES) acted as a compensating factor of the drivers of CO2 emissions. The positive trend for the share of RES in Spain's energy matrix, together with the negative tendency in the use of fossil fuels, leads us to be optimistic. On the second hand, we present an evaluation of the performance of Chile's CO2 emissions between 1991 and 2013 using an analysis based on log-mean divisia index method (LMDI I) to examine emissions and their components. Six decomposition factors were considered: Carbon Intensity effect (CI), RES penetration effect (RES), Energy Intensity effect (EI), Economy Structure effect (ES), Income effect (Yp) and Population effect (P). To know how these factors could influence each other in the future, the Innovative Accounting Approach (IAA) was used, including forecast error variance decomposition and Impulse Response Functions (IRFs). These two methodologies allow us to identify the drivers of CO2 emission changes in the past (1991–2013), test policy measures and learn how these drivers could influence each other in the future, to evaluate whether the current measures meet the Paris Agreement’s commitments. The LMDI analysis results show that the Energy Intensity Factor is the main compensating factor of Chile's CO2 emissions and the only effect with a clear trend to aid the decoupling between economic growth and GHG emissions. IAA and IFRs results react similarly and confirm that carbon intensity reacts to shocks more significantly in the short term. The reaction to RES has the same and opposite behavior to shocks in ES and Yp, to disappear in the long term. These finding represent a major contribution, not only for researchers but also for companies and policy makers. To the best of our knowledge there are no previous analyzes of the main drivers of CO2 in these economies. Results could lead to establish lines of action in order to design energy projects that help to fight against climate change