{"id":60120269,"date":"2026-02-12T13:45:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T13:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/?post_type=opinion&p=60120269"},"modified":"2026-02-17T10:29:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T10:29:49","slug":"latin-america-must-reform-its-energy-systems-for-the-renewable-age","status":"publish","type":"opinion","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/energy\/latin-america-must-reform-its-energy-systems-for-the-renewable-age\/","title":{"rendered":"Latin America must reform its energy systems for the renewable age"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Latin America is emerging as a leader in the energy transition. Our flagship report at Ember, the Global Electricity Review 2025<\/a>, found that 65% of electricity generated in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024 came from clean sources \u2013 much higher than the global average, 41%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For long-time observers, this will be no surprise. Many of the electrical systems in our region were developed over decades around hydroelectricity. Throughout the 20th century, large dams made it possible to meet a large part of the electricity demand. Now, solar and wind are coming centre stage amid the combined pressures of growing consumption, climatic phenomena such as El Ni\u00f1o, and reduced water availability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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However, despite these successes, there is still work to be done. It is not enough to expand clean electricity generation if the rest of the system remains dependent on fossil fuels, most of which are imported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The region has an historic opportunity. But it needs to think beyond renewables and transform the wider energy system. Leveraging renewable generation to decarbonise other sectors of the economy can strengthen the energy independence of countries in the region, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. This could save billions for Latin American economies, while providing cheaper and more secure energy for the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Latin American success story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Countries such as Uruguay, Brazil and Chile have made particularly notable progress in terms of renewable generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uruguay<\/a>\u2019s electricity generation is 95% renewable, mainly a combination of hydroelectric and wind power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brazil<\/a>, the region\u2019s largest economy, has increased its wind power generation fivefold in the past 10 years and its solar power almost sevenfold in the past five. Last August, wind and solar accounted for a third<\/a> of the country\u2019s monthly electricity generation for the first time. Chile<\/a>, for its part, achieved a combined share of solar and wind generation of 34% and became the regional leader in battery energy storage with 1.8 gigawatts of capacity, driven by stable policies and a sharp drop in technology costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n