Electricity generation and losses by source in Chile, 2012
- The primary source of energy is wood in Chile
Look at the energy mix of Chile in 2012 built with data from the International Energy Agency.
On the left side, we have all primary energy sources from fossil fuels and wood to hydropower and unconventional, solar and wind renewables.
Biofuels, including wood and wood products, marginally exceed oil as the primary energy source.
In fact fossil fuels – oil, coal and gas – are imported almost entirely in Chile, leaving the energy from wood, rivers, wind and sun as the only endogenous sources of primary energy. Wood provides almost six times more energy than rivers and one hundred eighty times that of wind and sun. This just shows the importance of wood as an energy source.
- What is the energy gained from burning wood used for?
It is equally used as a source of energy in homes, either for heating or cooking for low-income families, and as a source of energy for electricity generation. The rest, about half of what is used in homes and in electricity generation, is consumed as an energy source in the industry.
- What does the current energy matrix of Chile reveal about the future?
The very low supply of primary sources of energy which are limited to wood, rivers, sun and wind show us that over the next two decades Chile will depend on imports of traditional sources of fossil fuels to generate electricity and to produce the required transport fuels.
Even if the energy from the wind and sun was multiplied by sixty, this would represent just 1% of the energy consumption in Chile today. To find out more interesting energy data, visit the IDB Energy Database.
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