Sergio Ospina Rey

Master’s Thesis Title: Colombian energy transition at stake: case study of renewable energy policy in the developing world

Climate change has a global impact, but that doesn’t mean all nations are pursuing the same goals and have the same motivations for their own energy transitions; not even all of them are implementing such policies. The generalization in explaining the level of progress on renewable energy policy can likely lead to stalemates, where only environmentally friendly and polluter interest groups are recognized. That simplified version of the conflict impedes finding out the real drivers of energy policy in each context. This research targets the renewable energy policy in Colombia, a case study that confirms the need to embrace a wider perspective.

The Colombian energy sector, second greenhouse gas emitting sector after agriculture, has been considered as environmentally friendly due to the large share of hydropower installed capacity of around 70%. However, recent events have triggered a new discussion amidst changing domestic fuel prices, decreasing international price of non-conventional renewables, lessons learned from last major hydropower projects and climate related events like El Niño. By understanding the Colombian case, this study aims to understand why and how developing countries with large hydropower share can make energy transition happen. As the developing world is accountable for a rather small share of greenhouse gas emissions (also depending where the line of development is traced), the attention in energy transition policies tends to shift towards the high income world. However, the energy transition is a global issue in the same sense that greenhouse gases know no borders.

Sergio is studying for his MSc in Sustainable Resource Management at Technical University of Munich, where he is writing his thesis under the supervision of Dr. Miranda Schreurs. He also holds Mechanical Engineering and History degrees from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá (Colombia). Sergio worked for 5 years as a research and development engineer and project manager in the private energy sector in Germany before he started his master’s studies. In addition to his interest and experience in energy systems and technologies, he is also interested in the history of climate change and its perception in different societies and times.