An assessment of the potential and barriers for the diffusion of renewable energy technologies in Bolivia

Abstract

It is recognised that renewable energies have an important role in sustainable development, especially in developing countries, ranging from climate change mitigation to the provision of energy for poor people in remote rural areas. Latin America is lagging behind in the deployment of renewable energy technologies, in spite of its great natural potential and needs of rural electrification. This paper analyses the potentials and the barriers for the diffusion of renewable energy technologies in Bolivia, one of the poorest countries of Latin America. Firstly, a framework is developed from the literature that delineates the main factors which characterise renewable energy technology diffusion in developing countries. Secondly, this framework is applied to the specific situation of Bolivia by assessing existing studies and drawing upon expert interviews. The key findings show that a huge potential of natural resources, especially for the use of solar energy and hydro power, is confronted with a series of barriers for the dissemination of these technologies.