Governing energy transitions and regional economic development: Evidence from three Brazilian states

Amanda Bradshaw and Gilberto de Martino Jannuzzi

Energy Policy, 2019, vol. 126, issue C, 1-11

Abstract: States, regions, and municipalities have a growing importance in innovating policies to promote renewable sources of energy. This article examines the contribution of three state governments in developing and deploying wind and solar energy technologies in Brazil. The Brazilian electricity sector represents an interesting case of a middle-income country that is distinguished by strong federal involvement in energy governance and a reliance on hydroelectric power, followed by natural gas and coal. Using interviews conducted with policymakers and energy professionals, we find that regional energy transitions emerge as part of a process where state-level actors frame renewable energy choices primarily in terms of economic development opportunities and improving energy security. The engagement of regional institutions and organizations with energy priorities further influences the development of renewable technologies. The main policy implication is that state governments can have a strong role in the learning and niche formation of renewable alternatives that have been given less priority at the national level. This paper concludes that future policies should investigate how to scale up state renewable energy programs and initiatives.

Keywords: Energy transitions; Regions; Brazil; Solar; Wind; Renewable energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421518303264
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:enepol:v:126:y:2019:i:c:p:1-11

DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2018.05.025

Access Statistics for this article

Energy Policy is currently edited by N. France

More articles in Energy Policy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().