As the number of vaccines rises and vaccinations programs throughout Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) take up different speeds, the end of the covid pandemic is within sight. From the Energy division in the IDB, we have been tracking the impact the covid transformative effects in LAC’s behaviors and economic activity have on utilities. While the pandemic grew in strength … [Read more...] about The road ahead: how the pandemic transformed electricity demand. The path to recovery.
Would green hydrogen be the natural development of Latin America and Caribbean renewables endowment?
It is estimated that the cheapest green hydrogen (H2) production in 2030 would come from Latin American countries. The latest data on hydrogen levelized costs shows: 1) a decrease of 13% in the 2030 green H2 forecast, compared to the previous outlook; [1]2) by 2030, green hydrogen should be cheaper than blue hydrogen in many markets and it will be competitive with natural gas … [Read more...] about Would green hydrogen be the natural development of Latin America and Caribbean renewables endowment?
Will hydrogen development in Latin America and the Caribbean be color blind?
Did you know that one kilogram of hydrogen has roughly the same energy content as one gallon of gasoline, and yet when burnt, it only emits water? In other words, the combustion of hydrogen is 100% without any carbon emission. When the hydrogen is obtained from the reforming of natural gas, and its carbon emission is captured, stored and/or utilized (CCSU) we refer to it as … [Read more...] about Will hydrogen development in Latin America and the Caribbean be color blind?
The Urgent Need to ‘Clear up the Smoke’ through Clean Cooking Programs
There is an urgent need in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to cut down black carbon emissions. In 2012, one fifth of the 4.3 million deaths in the world related to the use of solid fuels for cooking or heating, either caused by health issues or accidents, were in LAC. Estimates show that if no action is taken to improve air quality, annual premature mortality from PM2.5- … [Read more...] about The Urgent Need to ‘Clear up the Smoke’ through Clean Cooking Programs
Auctions: From the 2020 Nobel Prize for Economics to the Success of Renewables’ Investment
This year’s Nobel Prize winners in economics were two economists from Stanford University. Robert Wilson and Paul Milgrom improved upon the auction theory and developed new modalities of auctions, thereby opening novel options to improve market efficiency and appropriate resource allocation. Robert Wilson was the first to create a framework for analyzing auctions[1] in order … [Read more...] about Auctions: From the 2020 Nobel Prize for Economics to the Success of Renewables’ Investment