Renewable Energy Potential in Selected Countries

Renewable energy (RE) resources have
been attracting growing interest in both the industrialized
and the developing world in the last five to eight years.
The main drivers for this interest and accelerated activity
have been the expected strong demand for energy in the
developing world and environmental concerns, particularly of
the risk of drastic climate change as a result of the
increasing accumulation of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere. Volume 1 covers : North Africa region, countries
of Central Europe and the former Soviet Union (FSU). Volume
2 : Latin America. The decision to conduct regional rather
than specific country studies was made to take into account
the commonalities of the shared characteristics of a group
of countries. Some of the results and conclusion of the
study regarding countries of Central and Eastern Europe, as
a group, certain regional aspects emerge. First, they all
share the legacies of the Soviet Union, notably in their
economic structure, mentality, and methodologies. Second,
they depend on each other for a number of goods and services
and are trying to transition to a modus operandi appropriate
to a market economy framework. The development of regional
markets would be a natural outcome of this effort on the
supply side. Volume 2 covers progress in the use of
renewable energy for rural electrification being made in
select countries in the LAC Region, with other countries
anxious to learn from and follow successful development
models. Chapter 2 highlights the in-depth efforts underway
in Argentina, as well as the vast market potential for
renewable technologies and rural electrification throughout
Mexico. Finally, while smaller in scale, the case of Panama
offers an insight into a country committed to providing a
framework and implementation strategy that focuses on both
renewable energy and rural electrification.