Western Hemisphere 2021 Energy Landscape and Outlook

Final Remarks

Green Hydrogen: Latin America ranks second after Africa as the continent with the highest share of renewables as part of its total primary energy supply (traditionally reliant on hydroelectricity, the region created some of the most dynamic renewable energy markets of the last decade). This is a privileged position for the production of green hydrogen, where a key driver is competitive green power. It has become difficult keeping abreast of developments in green hydrogen given the many new initiatives launched every week, no doubt justified by the stimulus packages and development funds that have been created to help economic recovery, most notably the European green deal. these [projects], adding up to around 200 MW of electrolyzer capacity”. But most of these projects are happening in other continents, not Latin America. If this is indeed to be the decade of green hydrogen, regional policy makers and enterprises should commit to serious efforts to co-create a roadmap and claim a share of this new industry, as it might be a critical source of competitiveness in the emissions constrained world we are heading towards. Chile is the exception. Despite understandable constraints on governments’ budgets, one opportunity within reach is working collectively in the development of regulatory frameworks. According to IRENA in its report Green Hydrogen Cost Reduction “by September 2020, there were almost 320 of

As with any scenario analysis, it is important to underscore that reality is more complex and that the final outcome – independently of the behavior of the considered variables– will only be an approximation. Also, it is important to note that in this case, the two variables used to characterize the potential scenarios are somewhat linked. Particularly, it is probable that economic performance could influence and impact election results. Additionally, it is likely that the economy will not perform very well. Given that reality, it is quite conceivable that the final outcome will be a mix of scenarios I and III.

Transitioning to a Sustainable Path By Marta Jara

As agendas remain hijacked by COVID-19, the future just kicks in - with perhaps not sufficient attention from humanity as to what can be done to effectively shape it in ways that are sustainable and prosperous for all. In this spirit, which are the opportunities to watch in 2021?

INSTITUTE OF THE AMERICAS

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