Political Economies of Energy Transition: Wind and Solar Power in Brazil and South Africa (Business and Public Policy)

Global climate solutions depend on low-carbon energy transitions in developing countries, but little is known about how those will unfold. Examining the transitions of Brazil and South Africa, Kathryn Hochstetler reveals in her new book, “Political Economies of Energy Transition: Wind and Solar Power in Brazil and South Africa,” how choices about wind and solar power respond to four different constellations of interests and institutions, or four simultaneous political economies of energy transition. The political economy of climate change set Brazil and South Africa on different tracks, with South Africa's coal-based electricity system fighting against an existential threat. Since deforestation dominates Brazil's climate emissions, climate concerns were secondary there for electricity planning. Both saw significant mobilization around industrial policy and cost and consumption issues, showing the importance of economic considerations for electricity choices in emerging economies. Host communities resisted Brazilian wind power, but accepted other forms. Hochstetler argues that national energy transition finally depends on the intersection of these political economies, with South Africa illustrating a politicized transition mode and Brazil presenting a bureaucracy-dominant one. "Wind and solar power are growing at remarkable rates worldwide and driving new industries worth many billions of dollars every year. These developments have eased a possible transition to a lower-carbon energy system, itself crucial for addressing global climate change. Yet as wind and solar power grow beyond minimal levels, they are highly disruptive to existing electricity systems and economies. The analytical starting point for this book is that a renewable energy transition requires a large-scale political economy transition. That is, successful energy transitions mean changing a series of political and economic arrangements even as they also demand new physical infrastructure and patterns of electricity consumption"-- Provided by publisher Cover Political Economies of Energy Transition 1. Political Economies of Energy Transition in Brazil and South Africa 2. Wind and Solar Power in the Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy 3. States, Markets, and Energy Transition: Good Industrial Policy? 4. Electricity Consumption in Brazil and South Africa: Distribution and Prices 5. People and Place: Siting Wind and Solar Plants in Brazil and South Africa 6. Political Economies of Energy Transition References Index Most of what we know about energy transition is based on industrialized countries and China - but most future low-carbon transitions will take place in developing countries. Climate change cannot be addressed without them. This book shows how environment and development concerns drive electricity choices in Brazil and South Africa.