A significant discussion regarding the energy of the future was held within the framework of the third cycle of “Conversations that Connect 2018,” a dialogue forum organized by Transelec in collaboration with Congreso del Futuro and Diario Pulso. Participants included Minister of Energy Susana Jiménez; Gianni Kovacevic, a renowned expert in energy, natural resources, and emerging markets and a graduate of the British Columbia Institute of Technology; Rodrigo Palma, Director of SERC Chile; and Andrés Kuhlmann, General Manager of Transelec.
How will the energy of the future impact our lives? How do current regulations adapt to the challenges of future energy? What are the new entrepreneurial opportunities that future energy will demand? These were some of the questions addressed by the experts on this panel.
Rodrigo Palma noted that “Chile has a significant opportunity regarding the development of renewable energies, particularly solar energy. We must capitalize on this opportunity, as our country has the potential to become a key global player in the solar sector and establish a new local industry.” He added that “to this end, we have a trained workforce in the industrial sector and robust public institutions; in other words, we have all the elements necessary to lead the Chilean solar revolution.”
Minister of Energy Susana Jiménez stated that “we must constantly monitor upcoming changes and trends, and align our public policies and regulations accordingly. This is not only to accelerate the introduction of these changes but also to ensure sufficient agility so that trends that are not visible today, but will be relevant tomorrow, can be integrated for the benefit of society's quality of life.”
Gianni Kovacevic remarked that we are currently transitioning from fossil fuels to electrification. “Once we move away from traditional resources, we must initiate a new electrification process—a change that will be led by renewable energies. In Chile, the north possesses vast solar resources, as well as the lithium and copper essential for electricity. There is also significant wind potential in the south. Electricity is the future,” he stated.
Andrés Kuhlmann noted that “this change will be experienced at an accelerated pace in Chile as we transition toward an increasingly electrified nation, as electricity costs have fallen consistently in energy tenders in recent years. This reduction is being rapidly passed on to consumers. However, for all of this to happen, we must have a flexible regulatory framework that enables the transition from the current electric power industry to the energy industry of the future.”