In Caribbean small island developing States (SIDS), electrical power outages are frequent in the aftermath of major weather events. While local service disruptions often last a few days after these events, nationwide power grid failures lasting several weeks, or months have resulted in enormous social and economic impacts. In 2017, Hurricane Maria left 90 per cent of the population of Dominica without access to electricity for over four months (Commonwealth of Dominica, 2020) and caused a systemwide collapse of Puerto Rico's power grid that took 11 months to be entirely restored (Campbell…
1 Mayo 2012, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 12:07
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Publicación
The versatility of electricity, which can be transformed into heat, light or mechanical movement, makes it a very valuable form of energy. It can be used to light a home, cook food or move machinery in productive processes. Access to electricity is thus crucial for human and economic development. In the 1980s and 1990s, Latin America and the Caribbean substantially reformed the electricity sector. During this process, most of the countries in the region privatized all or part of the sector, which historically had been in the hands of the state. Thus, private companies largely took charge of el…
5 Mayo 2016, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 12:10
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Publicación
This paper was prepared to guide the first session of the training workshop Introduction to Financial Feasibility Assessment of EE and RE Projects in the Caribbean. It explores two potential reasons that might be hindering the adoption of energy efficiency policies in the Caribbean. The first reason is related to the availability of primary infrastructure. Countries with deficits on their primary infrastructure might not consider energy efficiency policies as a priority for a national discussion. The second reason is debt overhang. In this type of scenario, countries might be dissuaded to cond…
29 Jul 2015, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 12:05
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Nota informativa
This document synthesizes the most pertinent findings of a survey of over 41 container terminals around the world of which 30 are located in Latin America and the Caribbean and represent 1/3 of the regional annual container throughput in 2014.
The results are part of a global study on energy consumption in terminals and ports of all kinds. Follow ‐ up publications including a larger set of countries as well as with specifications for bulk cargo, liquids and gas are under way. Furthermore, sub ‐ regional and national seminars are envisaged over the course of the year to present the study’s resu…
1 Oct 2014, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 12:05
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Publicación
Much analysis and proposals on sustainable transport policies have been developed around the world, both at government and research institutions. It is clear that no action will provide the single solution and it is imperative to act simultaneously on: i) improvement of technology in vehicles, leading to increased energy efficiency; ii) the change in driver behavior, to use less fuel per kilometer; iii) reducing the distances traveled per vehicle; and iv) a change in the type of travels towards more sustainable modes of transport.In general, the recommendations for energy efficiency in transpo…
1 Feb 2014, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 12:10
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Publicación
Guyana, like many CARICOM countries continues to depend on imported oil that fuels the electricity and transport sectors. Simultaneously, the high level of expenditure on oil reduces the financial resources available to invest in social development, environmental protection, adaptation to climate change and improving food security. The electricity sector in Guyana, in particular, offers significant opportunities for achieving reductions in fossil imports. However, fiscal and regulatory barriers to energy efficiency and renewable energy use are apparent in Guyana.
This document seeks to identif…
Given the increasing difficulty of ensuring the supply of crude oil and oil products, and the sharp increase in their prices, biofuels programmes in the developed countries-particularly the United States and the European Union-represent a series of opportunities, challenges and risks for the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Thus, if biofuels production is to create economic growth without jeopardising our natural capital and social equity, it must be developed in the framework of well thought-out national policy.Biofuels public policy cannot ignore national objectives, which invol…
1 Jun 2005, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 12:05
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Publicación
Jamaica has abundant renewable energy sources (RES), which have hardly been tapped in the past and could provide for large shares of the future energy requirements. In 2005, around 5% of the expected 4,020 GWh of electricity produced will be based on RES (wind and hydropower). With the new planned target of a share of 15% RES electricity by 2012, a combined renewable capacity of about 175 MW would need to be installed in that year. There is further wind potential on Jamaica, even if no exact figures can be given on the magnitude of the exploitable wind potential. Nonetheless, it seems realisti…
19 Mayo 2004, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 12:05
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Publicación
The World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg, August 2002, responded to a new cycle of global meetings that began with the Millennium Summit. The main characteristic of this new cycle is that the focus of the debate has moved away from declarations of principle toward identifying objectives and areas of concrete action, with quantitative commitments and deadlines for compliance. Debates about energy held an important position in Johannesburg. The positive links between access to energy, eliminating poverty and improving People's health and quality of life were emphasi…
1 Oct 2003, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 12:08
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Publicación
Summary In Latin America, energy efficiency and renewable energy offer great potential for reducing the negative effects of the ever-increasing rates of energy consumption associated with economic growth and the move towards more energy-intensive societal models. Despite over two decades of discussions aimed at giving energy efficiency and renewable energy more prominent positions in the energy policies of Latin American countries, little has been achieved so far. The fact that these issues have not been integrated into energy policies reflects, to a certain extent, a failure on t…
Dear Executive Secretaries of the sister UN Regional Economic Commissions,
Dear Selwin Hart, UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Climate Action Team (CAT)
Dear Thilmeeza Hussain, Director of the Regional Commissions New York Office,
Distinguished guests, colleagues, and participants,
Welcome to this side-event on how Critical Energy Transition Minerals can accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), convened under the auspices of the United Nations Regional Economic Commissions.
Today, we gather to address a defining challenge of our time: powering and enabling the…
23 Abr 2020, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 12:10
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Publicación
Although oil production is just starting in Guyana, the Government of Guyana is well aware that fossil fuels are a finite resource and do not last forever. It therefore continues to take a strategic approach to the development of a sustainable and cleaner energy sector, and the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) is considering energy efficiency measurements as a tool for strengthening energy security, securing a long-term reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and increasing revenue and cost savings. With the support of the Regional Observatory on Sustainable Energies (ROSE), GEA has built a database o…
5 Nov 2019, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 12:10
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Publicación
The Brazilian energy sector has reached a preeminent point in its history and has the potential to transform the livelihoods of thousands through innovative and fair energy policies. Since electric power distribution is highly centralized and strictly regulated by the State, it is critical to understand what kind of prospects exist for the diffusion of micro and mini solar photovoltaic generation in Brazil. In this study, a scenario analysis is implemented and the process of constructing the two scenarios, baseline and alternative, is described. Later, a model is presented that estimates diffu…
The study aims at unveiling the potential of smart grids technology deployment in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Regions. Founding on a general discussion of the smart grids functionalities and on the description of the progressive evolution of an electricity system from the present state towards the full deployment of smart grids concept, the study puts the concept into the LAC context through the preliminary analysis of the present situation in six representative countries. Challenges and opportunities for the evolution of the local systems towards smart grids are pointed out, mot…
24 Oct 2001, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 12:08
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Publicación
Introduction
At the twentieth meeting of the Standing Committee of Ministers Responsible for Agriculture under the heading 'Technology Generation, Validation and Transfer', the discussions centered around the formation of yet another institution Â- PROCICARIBE - to 'integrate and coordinate all the
agricultural research and development organizations throughout the Caribbean involved in technology development, export market development and the garnering of funds in support thereof.' It is interesting to note that the above in total or parts were already the mandate of the Ca…
31 Oct 2023, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 12:10
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Publicación
This document is a contribution of ADEME and ECLAC to measurement of the progress in Latin America on energy policies related to Sustainable Development Goal 7 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The document was prepared within the framework of the Energy Efficiency Indicators Database project, which aims to contribute to technical capacity-building in the countries of the region to monitor their progress towards affordable, efficient, secure and modern energy.…
28 Abr 2023, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 12:00
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Comunicado de prensa
América Latina y el Caribe deberá acelerar el paso para lograr el cumplimiento de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) de la Agenda 2030, alertaron hoy los representantes de los 33 países de la región, de agencias de las Naciones Unidas y organismos regionales, multilaterales y de la sociedad civil presentes en la Sexta Reunión del Foro de los Países de América Latina y el Caribe sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible, que finalizó este viernes 28 de abril en la sede central de la CEPAL en Santiago, Chile.
Al cierre de la reunión los delegados insistieron en que, si bien nos encontramos en la …
La Sexta Reunión Plenaria del Foro Regional de Planificadores de Energía de América Latina y el Caribe (FOREPLEN) se realizó el 12 y 13 de diciembre en Ciudad de Panamá, Panamá, con la participación de representantes de 15 países y 7 agencias internacionales.
El encuentro, cuyo lema principal fue “Hacia una transición energética justa y sostenible en América Latina y el Caribe”, fue organizado por la Unidad de Agua y Energía de la División de Recursos Naturales de la CEPAL, en conjunto con el Programa de Cooperación GET.transform, de la Cooperación Alemana (GIZ). Se efectuó en el marco de…
17 Jun 2021, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 12:10
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Nota informativa
La serie de seminarios virtuales fue una iniciativa conjunta de la Agencia Internacional de Energías Renovables (IRENA), la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe de las Naciones Unidas (CEPAL) y GET.transform. Forma parte de las actividades de la Red de Escenarios Energéticos a Largo Plazo (LTES) de IRENA, en el marco del Foro Técnico de Planificadores Energéticos (FOREPLEN) de la CEPAL.
La serie proporcionó una plataforma para intercambiar conocimientos, recopilar las mejores prácticas y experiencias de los planificadores energéticos gubernamentales de América Latina en el desarr…
30 Nov 2023, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 12:10
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Infografía
La Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) participa en la 28ª Conferencia de las Partes de la Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Cambio Climático (COP28), hito crucial en la lucha contra la crisis climática y ecológica, que se lleva a cabo en la Ciudad de Dubái, Emiratos Árabes Unidos, del 30 de noviembre al 12 de diciembre. La delegación de la CEPAL está encabezada por José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Secretario Ejecutivo del organismo regional, quien participará en diversas sesiones del foro global. Puedes conocer más sobre la participación de CEPAL en la COP…