RD&D for Renewable Energy Technologies: Cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean

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RD&D for Renewable Energy Technologies: Cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean finds wide opportunities to coordinate innovation activities and efforts. Latin America & the Caribbean (LAC) co-invention and cooperative research can help bridge gaps in renewable energy technologies (RET) innovation and diminish the region’s energy challenges. 

The main gaps in cooperative Research, Development & Deployment (RD&D) for RET relate to human and financial capacities, knowledge development and diffusion, the promotion of entrepreneurial activities, and market formation for new technologies. In addition, the strategic focus of existing efforts on RD&D hinders RET innovation in some LAC countries. 

This report presents an overview of recommendations and suggestions for practical actions to strengthen cooperative RD&D for RET. The main recommendations cover: 

The report prepared by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) contains a selection of on-going innovation initiatives and the numerous intergovernmental organisations, governmental offices, private enterprises, non-governmental organisations and academia taking part in those.

The accompanying analysis indicates that international and inter-sectorial cooperation are central to the proliferation of breakthroughs in the region. The development of short-term forecast tools for wind generation, hydrokinetic turbines to be used with marine currents, smart mini-grids for electrification of isolated or rural communities, and biofuel production from microalgae are a few examples of ground-breaking research conducted in the region.