Barriers to renewable energy expansion: Ecuador as a case study

Abstract

The growth in electricity consumption and the resulting pollution suggests the need to incorporate clean energy sources. Currently, technological advancement is affected by a series of barriers that prevent the adoption of wind energy and solar photovoltaic energy. This research identifies the main barriers that affect these two technologies in the Ecuadorian context. A triangulation approach is applied through a literature review and a structured survey of expert professionals. The homogeneity in the responses affirms that the lack of an energy policy, regulations, inadequate financing, fuel subsidies, and investor uncertainty are useful factors that must be taken into account by various stakeholders to search for mitigating mechanisms that make new projects feasible. Although several studies have been conducted to identify barriers in other contexts, the characterization of barriers has been shown to depend on the conditions of the study environment.