Challenges for Energy Transition in Poverty-Ridden Regions—The Case of Rural Mixteca, Mexico
Institute for Technology Assessment and System Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76133 Karlsruhe, Germany
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Academic Editor: Vincenzo Bianco
Energies 2021, 14(9), 2596; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14092596
Received: 28 March 2021
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Revised: 27 April 2021
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Accepted: 28 April 2021
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Published: 1 May 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Pathways for a Sustainable Energy System: Science Approaches for Identification and Assessment)
This paper presents distinct scenario pathways and their storylines resulting from an analysis of interdependencies. We identified the main drivers of a proposed renewable energy transition in rural Mixteca-Puebla, Mexico. By analyzing the main factors involved in alleviating impoverished communities in the rural region, we show the varying degrees to which these drivers influence, support, or hinder a promising energy transition. A Cross-Impact Balance Analysis was conducted to explore the multiple inter-relationships among a set of conditions. This methodology allowed us to evaluate the relationships between social, political, cultural, and environmental variables. The main drivers were identified as clusters of several elements, in which the uncertainties in governance and the legal system trigger the inter-relationship of forces in the area. The focus of this paper is to show how the societal aspects affect the structural energy transformation and its capacity for adaptation in future trends envisioned for the area. This research contributes to the use of technological transformation as a means to alleviate poverty in a rural area. These outcomes give insights regarding the conditions to be considered, in respect to possible–encouraging, but also pessimistic pathways for the region in coming decades.
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Keywords:
scenario analysis; cross-impact balance; energy transition; rural areas; socio-technical system; renewable energy; transformation pathways; poverty alleviation
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MDPI and ACS Style
Oviedo-Toral, L.-P.; François, D.E.; Poganietz, W.-R. Challenges for Energy Transition in Poverty-Ridden Regions—The Case of Rural Mixteca, Mexico. Energies 2021, 14, 2596. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14092596
AMA Style
Oviedo-Toral L-P, François DE, Poganietz W-R. Challenges for Energy Transition in Poverty-Ridden Regions—The Case of Rural Mixteca, Mexico. Energies. 2021; 14(9):2596. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14092596
Chicago/Turabian StyleOviedo-Toral, Laura-Patricia, Davi E. François, and Witold-Roger Poganietz. 2021. "Challenges for Energy Transition in Poverty-Ridden Regions—The Case of Rural Mixteca, Mexico" Energies 14, no. 9: 2596. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14092596
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