Renewable energy market in Brazil

Transcription

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Renewable Energy Market Needs:
A perspective from Europe and Latin America
jelare_versao_final.indb 1
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Authors
Bolivia
Horacio Villegas
Javier Aliaga Lordemann
Lea Franziska Buch
Brazil
André Luis Silva Leite
João Luiz Alkaim
José Baltazar Salgueirinho
Osório de Andrade Guerra
Mariana Eliza Ferrari
Mariana Dalla Barba Wendt
Rodrigo Antonio Martins
Youssef Ahmad Youssef
Chile
Francisca López Robinovich
Guillermo Jiménez Estévez
Luis Vargas Díaz
Manuel Díaz Romero
Natalia Garrido Echeverría
Guatemala
Cyrano Ruiz
Ericka Tuquer
Lourdes Socarrás
Nelson Amaro
Robert Guzmán
Germany
Gabriela Espinosa
Julia Gottwald
Walter Leal
Latvia
Aleksejs Zorins
Gotfrids Noviks
Organizers (Brazil)
José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra
Youssef Ahmad Youssef
Instructional Design
Marina Cabeda Egger Moellwald
Revision
Andrzej Korzeniowski (transLEEtion)
Sarah Jauncey (transLEEtion)
Assessoria de Comunicação e
Marketing - C&M
Assessor
Laudelino José Sardá
Graphic Design
Edison Rodrigo Valim
R32
Director
Maria do Rosário Stotz
Editorial Manager
Alessandra Turnes
Renewable energy market needs : a perspective from Europe and Latin
America. / José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra, Youssef
Ahmad Youssef organizers– Palhoça : Ed. Unisul, 2010.
286 p. ; 21 cm
ISBN 978-85-86870-48-X
Bibliography: p. 279-285
1. Renewable energy sources. 2. Environment. 3. Sustainable
development. 4. Jelare. I. Guerra, José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de
Andrade Guerra, 1968-. II. Youssef, Youssef Ahmad, 1967-.
CDD – 333.794
This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The
content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the JELARE project consortium and
can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.
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Contents
Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter 1 – Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Chapter 2 – Bolivia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Chapter 3 – Brazil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Chapter 4 – Chile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Chapter 5 – Germany. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Chapter 6 – Guatemala. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Chapter 7 – Latvia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Chapter 8 – JELARE survey reports: main variables . . . 177
Chapter 9 – Conclusions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
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Preface
The search for global solutions to environmental and
climate problems associated with the consumption of fossil
fuels has led to the development of a new field, namely the
field of renewable energy. Even though it has always been
possible to harness the sun or winds as energy sources, the
limited technological means to do so have largely hindered
developments in this field in the past. Nowadays, technology
is now available to allow us to realize the potential the field
of renewable energy offers.
From the production of biogas from wastes to the use of
biomass to generate energy for households, the possibilities
of using renewable energy are manifold. In poor countries
such as those in Latin America, the use of locally available
renewable energy resources may allow them to improve
quality of life as well as contribute to their economic
development. But in order to yield the expected benefits,
there is a pressing need to address many of the deficiencies
seen today in respect of the development and use of renewable
energy. Some of these are the lack of institutional policies
and frameworks, limited access to technology, restricted
access to financing, unsuitability of local infrastructures and,
last but not least, lack of training.
In the context of the Joint European-Latin American
Universities Renewable Energy Project ( JELARE),
undertaken as part of the ALFA III Programme of the
European Commission, various initiatives are being
undertaken to develop the renewable energy sector in the
participant countries (Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Germany,
Guatemala, Latvia) in both Europe and in South America.
In particular, JELARE tries to address the problems posed
by lack of expertise and lack of training in this important
field. Consistent with this approach, a number of surveys
have been undertaken in the participant countries as part of
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JELARE, focusing on the market needs seen in the field
of renewable energy.
This book presents the results of the various surveys
undertaken in the participant countries. These involved
university personnel on the one hand, and employers, local
authorities and ministries on the other, thus building up a
profile of the current and future needs. The results of these
surveys are very useful, since they provide a sound basis
upon which concrete action in respect of education, training
and extension works can be undertaken, vis-à-vis addressing
the problems they have identified. Readers will therefore
find this book useful both in respect of the provision of
background information and in terms of gaining knowledge
of the specific circumstances in each country. All in all, if
countries are able to adequately train human resources, they
can more easily take advantage of the various economic
opportunities the field of renewable energy may offer.
A special thanks goes to Prof. Baltazar de Andrade Guerra
and Prof. Youssef Ahmad Youssef, from UNISUL in Brazil,
for their efforts in compiling this publication. Thanks are
also due to the JELARE project partners, who performed
the surveys in their countries and supplied the data which
is compiled here. It is hoped that this ground-breaking
publication will facilitate a better understanding of the
current situation in the field of renewable energy and its
development in each country and, inter alia, across the Latin
American region.
Enjoy the book!
Prof. Walter Leal (BSc, PhD, DSc, DPhil, DEd, DL, DLitt)
JELARE Project Coordinator
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Chapter 1 - Introduction
1.1 - The Joint European-Latin American Universities
Renewable Energy (JELARE) project: ‘Fostering
innovative labour market-oriented educational
& research approaches in the field of renewable
energies at Latin American and European institutes
of higher education’
The JELARE project is a co-operation scheme involving
universities from Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Germany, Guatemala
and Latvia with the aim of fostering innovative labour
market-oriented educational and research approaches in
the field of renewable energies (RE) at Latin American
and European institutes of higher education. The project
is funded by ALFA III, a European Union programme
for co-operation between the European Union (EU) and
Latin America (LA), in the higher education and training
framework.
The JELARE project partners are:

Universidad Católica Boliviana (Bolivia);

Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina (Brazil);

Universidad de Chile (Chile);

Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (Germany);

Universidad Galileo (Guatemala); and

Rēzeknes Augstskola (Latvia).
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These universities have been chosen based on their academic
competence and interest in international cooperation in the
field of RE as well as in the modernization and improvement
of their current research and teaching activities. Germany,
Chile and Brazil represent comparatively experienced
and advanced organizations and countries in the field of
renewable energies, while Latvia, Bolivia and Guatemala
are less developed in this field. Hopefully this combination
Network members not only anticipates future knowledge transfers between the
European Union (EU) and Latin America (LA), but also
are EU and LA
organizations such the intracontinental exchanges that may take place.
as enterprises,
NGOs, ministries,
local authorities,
universities and
other institutions
working in the
field of education,
research and
employment in
the renewable
energies sector.
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Each partner takes on one work package and also actively
contributes to the transnational elements of the other work
packages, as well as carrying on with their respective local
activities. Accordingly, all surveys, concepts, pilot modules,
evaluations and recommendation reports, networking and
dissemination activities will also be carried out locally with
each partner following a joint transnational methodology.
The purpose of the JELARE Network is to promote
European–Latin American networking and exchange
of experience in employment, research and education in
the field of renewable energies within and also beyond
the JELARE project partnership. Other universities may
therefore also take part in its activities and benefit from the
project information and experience.
The purpose of the project is not only to improve the
academic quality of European and Latin American Higher
Education Institutions (HEIs), but also to strengthen their
role so as to contribute to local economic development and
social cohesion. The JELARE network aims to enhance the
role of the universities in the context of renewable energy
sector dynamics. In this sense, the project also seeks to
increase the capacity of HEIs to modernize their research
and teaching programmes in the renewable energy sector
and to strengthen the link between the HEIs and businesses
that operate on renewable energy.
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The overall objectives of the JELARE project are:

to improve the quality of research and teaching in LA
and EU universities;
to strengthen the role of HEIs in socio-economic
development; and
to foster sustainable cooperation between HEIs in LA
and EU.
In order to contribute to its overall objectives, the JELARE
project focuses on the thematic sector of renewable energy,
an area widely acknowledged as being very important. Due
to the current global situation of scarce energy resources,
rapidly rising prices for fossil fuels and the impact of climate
change, the promotion of renewable energies is of vital
importance for sustainable socio-economic development in
Latin America as well as in Europe.
For developing countries in particular, local energy
generation has great potential for local economic
development. Lack of expertise is a major impediment to
the broader use of renewable energies in Latin America.
In this context, LA HEIs play a very important role in
training people – through education, providing expert
advice, through research and technology transfer – and,
thereby, having a positive impact on socio-economic
development.
Therefore, the specific objectives of the JELARE project are:

to develop and implement labour market-oriented
research and educational approaches in the field of
renewable energies, first of all, JELARE identifies the
needs of the labour market, develops and implements
practical transnational pilot modules and long-term
concepts. Moreover, based on JELARE’s experiences
and evaluation, practical recommendations are offered
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to the participating HEIs, as well as other HEIs in
the EU–LA regions, in the area of education. As a
consequence, graduates will benefit with better job
opportunities, while HEIs and their staff will gain new
business opportunities in the research and technology
transfer field. Local businesses and public institutions
will benefit from locally available expertise and highly
qualified staff;

to increase the capacity of HEI staff so as to modernize
their educational and research programmes and activities:
this is a precondition for the long-term competitiveness
of HEIs and will be achieved by capacity-building
seminars, study visits and exchange of experience
between JELARE partners and other network
members. Moreover, JELARE supports decisionmaking processes by providing detailed information and
concepts on current needs and potential;
to strengthen the link between HEIs and the labour
market, business and public sector in the field of
renewable energies: a closer link between HEIs and the
private and public sectors offers multiple opportunities
for both sides. HEIs benefit from new clients and project
partners’ research. This close co-operation helps HEIs
to focus their activities on the actual needs of the labour
market and also strengthens the impact HEIs have
on local economic development. Private enterprises
can benefit from technology transfer, and public and
governmental bodies can obtain valuable support for
decision-making;
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to establish a long-term partnership and network
between European and Latin American universities: in
the RE field much needs to be done in terms of research
and education, both in LA and the EU. On the other
hand, due to different climatic, natural and economic
conditions, all EU and LA countries can benefit from
the exchange of know-how and cooperation. The
JELARE project is basically regarded as a starting point
for more cooperation between the JELARE partners
and beyond.
During the 3-year project (2009-2011), the following
outputs are expected:
renewable
energy labour market survey for Bolivia,
Brazil, Chile, Germany, Guatemala and Latvia;

teaching and research concepts for renewable energies;
teaching and research pilot modules for renewable
energies;
university staff capacity building program;
recommendation report for European and Latin
American universities; and
international JELARE network, with local subgroups
in the partner countries.
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1.2 – The JELARE Survey: Labour market-oriented
research and teaching approaches at Higher
Education Institutions in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile,
Germany, Guatemala and Latvia
Research problem
Over the last few decades, many countries have expressed
serious concerns regarding the need to restructure their
production matrix. To this end, we have observed some
movement towards a cleaner energy matrix, intended to be
less harmful to the environment. The Kyoto Protocol and
specific researches on global warming have raised a number
of issues related to the role of the current model of energy
generation and its harmful effects on the environment.
Consequently there has been, for the first time and in
a collective way, a call for an efficient energy matrix that,
simultaneously:

meets the demand for energy worldwide;

promotes environmental preservation; and

contributes to the reduction of the greenhouse effect.
In recent decades, the issue of increasing renewable energy
sources has been discussed in tandem with environmental
issues, aiming at reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.
Such discussion has revealed that, although contrary to
the liberalizing reforms of the 1990s, the development
of renewable energy sources requires major government
participation (YI-CHONG, 2006).
According to the IEA (2006), world demand for energy
will grow at an average annual rate of 1.6% until 2030,
leveraged by the exponential growth of energy consumption
in developing countries. At the same time, there are some
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doubts about the influence that human activity has had on
global warming, leading to the urgent need for climate change
mitigation (DANTAS; CASTRO, 2008a). The best available
method for increasing energy supply lies in improving energy
efficiency and promoting greater participation of RE in
the world energy matrix, including bio-energy, which is of
significant importance both for the transport and electrical
generation sectors.
This trend requires a well-defined energy policy and a greater
role for renewable energies in a matrix that must be supported
on a tripod comprised by the state, corporations and universities.
The driving force behind the recent quest for RE is the oil
crisis, which reached its highest point in the middle of 2008:
a price of US$147 per barrel of crude oil. Petrol also reached
unexpected retail prices, in major importing countries, of US$4
per gallon. In the past, especially in the early 1960s, when a
similar phenomenon took place, efforts to use RE became a
priority for many countries.
The 1960s marked the beginning of Brazil’s effort in that
direction. Real progress has been made over the years, and
Brazil now holds a leading position in the field. This is
especially true regarding Brazil’s substitution choice: petrol
for bio-ethanol, a product derived mainly from sugarcane.
However, this step forward experienced a setback when
OPEC was founded and began to intervene in the
international market by fixing quotas that made the price
go up or down according to the criteria of the producing
countries, mainly Arab. The main factors taken into account
were:
the world’s oil reserves;

the price of the dollar;

annual inflation;
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global economic growth; and

the production capacity of OPEC countries.
Nevertheless, unlike Brazil, which regarded the production
of alternative energy sources as a priority, most countries
lost interest in the development of alternative RE sources
as soon as prices started to fall, which was caused by the
discovery of new oil reserves in areas that were more
politically sympathetic to principal oil customers. All of
these trends, in addition to the movement towards RE
development, diminished OPEC’s control of the situation.
This control continued to be affected in periods of advances
in renewable energies researches, especially when there were
price increases that threatened the economies of non-oil
producing countries.
This can be seen in the following graphic:
160
140
US $/ bl
120
100
80
60
40
0
Jan/98
Jul/98
Jan/99
Jul/99
Jan/00
Jul/00
Jan/01
Jul/01
Jan/02
Jul/02
Jan/03
Jul/03
Jan/04
Jul/04
Jan/05
Jul/05
Jan/06
Jul/06
Jan/07
Jul/07
Jan/08
Jul/08
Jan/09
Jul/09
20
14
Graphic 1.1 – International oil prices.
Source: the Technical Team, based on “Energías Renovables de Guatemala” (Renewable
Energies in Guatemala), Victor Araujo, February 2007, for the period of January 1998 – July
2006; for the period of January 2007 – January 2009, consult: <http://www.marketwatch.
com/tools/quotes/intTable.asp?symb=CL08XE&sid=3343724&dist=TQP_Table_
date&freq=1&time=9>
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The crisis has now reached unprecedented proportions.
The consistent growth of China and the more recent rise
of India, as well as the renewed efforts for the economic
growth of other emerging countries, dating from the late
1970s, has brought about an increase in demand, which has
lead to an astronomical ‘world oil bill’. At the same time, we
are coming to terms with the fact that oil is a non-renewable
resource and that in the near future it will start to dwindle
and, ultimately, cease to exist. Existing reserves are limited
and even the discovery and exploitation of new oilfields will
only serve to delay this inexorable end.
The consequences of an industrial society developed to its
full extent, as well as emerging countries viewing oil as a
fundamental strategic factor since the 1970s, have been:

atmosphere contamination;

climate change;

deforestation;

oversights in waste and fertilizer disposal, among
others; and
resulting impact for water usage and for the
environment.
On the other hand, the melting of polar masses and sea
level rise, which are signs of global warming, among other
threats, are starting to attract the world’s attention. The
idea of sustainable development started to impose itself at
the end of the 1980s, highlighting the need for economic
growth within some limits which would not threaten the
survival of future generations.
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The complexity of the crisis that has attracted attention
to the topic of RE shows the interrelation between this
problem and macro social factors that affect the most basic
development matrix of developing countries. Poverty forces
most populations, in the less industrialized countries, to
use wood as a renewable energy, but this source also has its
limits as far as preservation of forests and natural reserves are
concerned. This clearly shows how close is the relationship
between RE and the protection of the environment.
Agricultural practices of burning and sowing that widen the
limits of crop production, threaten vast zones – once full
of vegetation – with desertification. These areas were used
to generate rain that fed rivers, transferring the benefits of
water to distant lower lands. In the Petén area of Guatemala,
which represents 30% of the country’s territory but is home
to only about 1% of its population, this situation is evident.
A quick look tells us that these effects can also be seen in
more populated and exhausted lands on the eastern side,
where vast territories already show signs of desertification.
Historical documents show that the area used to be rich and
crossed by fast-flowing rivers.
Today, poverty poses yet another threat that also limits the
unmeasured search for other sources of energy. It consists of
including staple food, such as corn and sugar, among the raw
materials to generate biofuels, which means using cultivable
fields for non-food purposes. This massive change in food
products affects the prices of basic products and impacts
negatively on the income of poor families who no longer
have access to products of their basic diet. Even when this
situation seems to have been temporary, it represents a latent
threat that could become a permanent scourge for the most
impoverished populations.
In summary, one aspect is clear: any effort towards
institutional strengthening of the RE sector calling for better
personnel skills required in public and private companies
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and in universities entails a multidisciplinary approach. This
approach refers not only to the inclusion of environmental
aspects into the objectives of RE related policies and
strategies, but also to the connection of any renewable energy
action with economic, social, anthropological, political and
populational studies that make the required employees’
profiles be the base for an academic contribution capable of
satisfying such need. This multidisciplinary approach will be
considered the core of the questionnaires to be applied to the
key populations during this study.
The 2007 Lisbon Summit, which also gathered
representatives from HEIs of EU and LA, identified the
environment sector as one of the priority areas where cooperation is particularly needed. Renewable energy is of
great relevance for socio-economic development in Latin
America as well as in Europe, since both regions depend
heavily on (imported) fossil fuels to meet their energy needs.
Apart from the environmental benefits, the local generation
and use of renewable energies offer great potential for local
economic development, e.g.
A wide range
of local job
opportunities
(from high-skill
to low-skill,
from high-tech
to agriculture),
foster local
investments and
the reduction
of the need for
importing.
However, the renewable energy sector cannot develop
appropriately where there is a lack in expertise, especially
in countries such as Bolivia and Guatemala. Due to the
innovative nature of this field, the HEIs are very important
actors, especially in terms of research, as well as in the
education of the future labour force in RE. However,
although the topic is of crucial value, renewable energy is
not yet prominently positioned in the curriculum of LA or
EU universities as it could have been or, indeed, as it should
be.
Public and private universities need greater interaction in
order to be able to meet the demands of the labour market
for skilled staff in the RE area. The aim of the JELARE
project in its Work Package Two (WP2) is precisely to
fill that gap, drafting a survey that finds the needs of the
labour market according to the availability of the Higher
Education Institutions.
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The study of the challenges in the renewable energy field
demands the strengthening of practices in the private
sector, similar to what already happens to the public sector
initiative in the field of energy production. Moreover, contact
with HEIs in other countries participating in the JELARE
project will affect the implementation of innovations. On
the other hand, this situation will force universities to
review current curricula and all contents that are taught to
future graduates who eventually will be required to apply
their knowledge in the market. This demand will affect:

graduate profiles;

curriculum improvement;

the training of teaching and administrative staff in
energy-related subjects;
technology transfer; and, in general,
all practices that promote compliance with the
renewable energy objectives in the short, medium and
long term.
This study will be the basis for those changes, as presented
in the interrelationships in Figure 1.1.
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Figure 1.1 – Agroenergy: New paradigm of matrix energy.
Source: COGEN – SP.
Objectives of the JELARE Survey
Work Package Two (WP2) of the JELARE project aimed
to carry out a survey from 1 February to 21 July, 2009 on this
report’s title subject. The reader should take into account all
agreements from the Hamburg JELARE meeting that took
place from 17 to 20 February 2009, where the design of
this package was discussed. In short, the agreements were
as follows:
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three
surveys have been carried out: one aimed at
either public or private companies participating in the
market, another aimed at professors and university
staff, and the third, at university bodies involved in the
renewable energy field;

the three surveys were to be carried out in JELARE
partner countries, aiming at identifying the needs of
the labour market regarding education and research
in the RE sector, identifying university staff training
needs in the RE sector, and benchmarking RE
activities in Higher Education Institutions (HEI); and
three questionnaires served as tools to analyse: public
and private companies, for the first questionnaire;
professors and administrative personnel of the
universities involved as partners in the JELARE
project, for the second questionnaire; and, for the last
questionnaire, the units, departments for institutes
involved in RE in other national universities.
As there were restrictions regarding time and resources
which could distract the researchers’ attention from
theoretical or purely academic elements, the establishment
of a strict methodological basis was required for the analysis
of the gathered information, in order to avoid unsound
generalization.
The general objectives of the surveys are:

20
to identify which topics and institutional situations
are deemed necessary in order to include the subject
of RE in the curriculum and as a part of the research
program; as well as
to develop curriculum and technology transfer
activities, aiming to achieve sustainable cooperation
among European and Latin American universities in
search of socio-economic development.
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The specific objectives of the surveys are to:

consult potential employers and researchers, as well
as students, local authorities and ministers from the
countries involved, in order to identify current personnel
employment requirements and the need for expertise,
in addition to identifying support requirements for
research institutions;
identify the need to build on administrative, teaching
and research personnel’s capacity in the Higher
Education Institutions in order to increase their skills
and develop high-quality education, as well as advance
research and technology transfer in general, and, in
particular, in the renewable energy field;
conceptually develop a strategic approximation of the
needed changes and the implementation of innovative
pilot modules;
use the survey experience as a teaching-learning tool
for the RE situation in the relevant country and use
its results as educational and training content for key
personnel in the area;
take Work Package Two as a first measurement
instrument before the implementation of the project,
so as to evaluate two distinct points comparatively at
a later stage: over the second year, in order to place
emphasis on project improvements, given possible
deviations; and, in turn, aiming towards project selfsustainability at the end of the third year, when the
project winds down; and
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carry out survey activities as an integral part of the
project publicity material (posters, pamphlets, etc.) as
well as the establishment of networks in the renewable
energy field.
Despite the progress achieved in our society in relation to
the global warming debate and the increasing need for the
usage of clean and renewable energy sources, we find that
little is being done by the Higher Education Institutions
(HEIs) in this new scenario. It is estimated that HEIs will
play a key role both in research and development in the
RE field, as well as in the qualification of a new labour
force, capable of operating and managing the emerging
technologies in this new business environment. In other
words, HEIs are responsible for meeting future demands
for skilled labour in the RE sector.
In this context, the JELARE network intends to address the
relationship between HEIs and businesses operating in the
renewable energy field, trying to promote future initiatives
in academic practices of teaching, research and technology
transfer. As a result, all gaps that may emerge in terms of skilled
labour force and applied research in this sector will be filled.
Methodological procedures
The following section will describe the:

addressed population encompassed in this study; and

the main variables involved.
It was established that this study would be directed through
three different questionnaires – in which the main variables
could be found – applied to three specific populations:
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Questionnaire 1
Public and private companies in the RE field
1. General information about the organization, company or entity
a. Nature of organization (private, NGO, public, etc.)
b. Business sector of organization (renewable and non-renewable
energy, communications, etc.)
c. Interest in developing renewable energy
d. Sector in which it is active
e. Area in the value chain in which it works or plans to work
f. Way of taking part in RE development
g. Total income of the organization in 2008 (in the national currency
of each country but converting into euros in the final analysis)
h. RE income of the organization in 2008 (in national currency)
2. Employee training and qualifications
a. Total number of permanent employees in the organization
b. Number of employees in RE
c. Attitudes towards the availability of qualified personnel in RE
d. RE-related activities where employees work
e. Educational background of the personnel employed in RE
f. Mechanism of employment applied to RE personnel
g. Problems faced to select the right RE personnel
continues...
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h. Attitudes towards the future in the RE employment trend:
i. General
ii. In short term (next 2 years)
iii. In medium term (next 5 years)
3. Qualification requirements and market needs
a. Opportunity of more training in RE
b. New qualifications for the personnel required for RE in the future
c. Perception of the forces that move these qualifications
d. Perception of the need for new courses and RE qualifications developed by universities
e. Necessary qualifications that universities have to develop according to the people interviewed
4. The role of Higher Education Institutions
a. Expectations in RE innovations
b. Expectations about provided services
c. Perception of how well HEIs are updating their understanding with
respect to labour needs
5. General suggestions
a. Perception of the biggest challenges for an increase in the use of RE
in the country
b. Suggestions regarding issues not mentioned in the questionnaire
Questionnaire 1 – Public and private companies in the field of RE.
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Questionnaire 2
Teaching and administrative staff in RE courses and degrees
1. Profile of the unit or department
a. Dedication to management, research or teaching
b. Kind of appointment
i. Number of years working in the university
ii. For teachers: number of courses currently given
iii. For teachers: whether they perform a direction or coordination
role
iv. Administrative personnel
v. Others (specify)
c. Rank of the professor. Whether there is a tenure appointment or
some other system (some countries use other variables due to a
different teaching system)
2. Kind of department at their current appointment in terms of
courses (Master’s degree in Renewable Energy, Master’s degree in
Energy Efficiency, specialization in Energy Engineering, other)
3. Area that best describes their current academic/professional
involvement in RE
4. Sector in RE in which they work or are interested in working in
5. Number of years of experience in RE
6. Number of years of experience in curriculum development
7. Number of years of experience in research management
8. Training needs
a. In RE technologies
continues...
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b. In curriculum development
c. In teaching modules
d. In research management
9. Requirements of RE training and qualifications
a. Technical/vocational knowledge updating
b. Technical change updating
c. Learning abilities in curriculum development about RE
d. Better laboratories and equipment infrastructure and access to a
scientific RE database
e. Participation in events related to a RE network (workshops,
seminars, visits to companies, etc.)
f. Cooperation between the university and RE industry
g. Detection of priority individual training needs (quote 3 topics in order)
10. Strengthening RE
a. Perception of the need for strengthening RE (only for those who
answered YES in the previous question)
b. Need for change in market-oriented academic programs
c. Exchange programs
d. Associations with HEI for sharing knowledge
e. RE applied technological research carried out by universities and
financed by the RE market
f. Same as previous, but financed by government agencies
continues...
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g. More student internships in the RE industry
h. Constant analysis of the design of RE occupational plans in relation
to economic behaviour and economic change
i. Specification of other initiatives
11. General Suggestions
a. Suggestions regarding other necessary strengthening actions not
mentioned above
Questionnaire 2 - Teaching and administrative staff in RE courses and degrees.
Questionnaire 3
HEIs’ departments, institutes or units involved with RE
1. RE in the university
a. Introduction of past, present and future RE practices
b. RE courses as part of already implemented programs or of future
programs
c. Policies and strategies introduced
d. Type of knowledge aquisition that the university regularly employs
e. Other practices not included in these variables
2. RE sector in which the university carries out research or
teaching activities
a. Type of energy (wind, biomass, etc.)
b. Name of the aforementioned teaching program
continues...
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3. Departments, institutes or units specifically working in the RE field
a. Name of the department, institute or unit that is working in RE
b. Name the products that the university uses for RE teaching/
research and RE investments
Questionnaire 3 – HEIs’ departments, institutes or units involved with RE.
The following chapters are articles that demonstrate the
results of the questionnaires applied in each country of the
JELARE project.
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Chapter 2 - Bolivia
1 – Renewable energy market in Bolivia
The Bolivian energy mix
The primary energy production in Bolivia is composed
mainly of four sources:

natural gas;

oil;

biomass; and

hydropower, which constitutes the most important
renewable energy source.
Production maintained a growing trend between 2000 and
2007 up to a level of 111.451 kilo barrels of oil equivalent
(kBOE), the major part of which (86.420 kBOE)
corresponds to the production of natural gas, Bolivia’s main
export product. It is estimated that less than 1% of the
primary energy production can be attributed to renewable
energies, without considering the large-scale hydropower
production.
The secondary energy production has increased from
14,398 kBOE in the year 2000 to 23,295 kBOE in 2007.
The energy carriers with major production volumes are:

diesel oil;

electricity;

liquefied petroleum gas; and

petrol.
In the generation of hydropower, a very slow growth can be
highlighted.
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During the 2000–2007 period, natural gas exports to Brazil
made up 90% of energy exports. The energy balance does
not include electricity exports. Energy imports in the same
period consisted basically in diesel oil and in a lower level
of petrol imports.
In summary, Bolivia is a net exporter of primary energy,
whereby its internal supply only reaches 39% of the effective
production. The secondary energy production accounts for
an important part of the effective production. There is a
strong internal dependence regarding the primary energy
sources and a low participation of renewable energies in the
energy mix.
The potential of renewable energies
To date, Bolivia does not have final studies about renewable
energies. However, the initial investigations show a huge
generation potential, especially due to the particular
characteristics of the territory regarding the diversity of
its ecologic floors, as the following balance illustrates in a
summarized form:

Hydropower: the main generator of renewable
energy in the country, with an estimated potential
of 1,802–2,500 MW based on the record of water
sources of the country.
Solar energy: the potential is not estimated;
however, it is known that Bolivia is located inside
the geographical band with the highest solar
radiation of the continent. At almost 4,000 metres
above sea level and an air mass of 4,000 metres
inferior to the recorded at sea level, during most of
the year there is a solar radiation about of 550-650
langleys/day.
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Wind energy: the effective potential is not
estimated, but it is known that wind energy has a
huge potential in four regions: (1) around the city
of Santa Cruz de la Sierra; (2) in the southwest
frontier of Bolivia with Chile and Argentina in
the Department of Potosí; (3) in the south corridor
between the cities of Santa Cruz and La Paz and
(4) in the north-south corridor between the city of
Oruro and the city of Potosí.
Geothermal energy: it is estimated that the
potential of generation in Laguna Colorada (the
only explored zone) is between 280 and 370 MW,
values that allow the production of electricity of at
least 120 MW for 25 years.
In 2006, the Bolivian electricity sector covered 67% of its
population. It is estimated that more than 700,000 rural
and about 70,000 urban households (concentrated in cities
with more than 5,000 inhabitants) do not have access to
this service.
In the last three decades the country has experienced an
urbanization process and since the mid-80s the urban
population has begun to outpace the rural population, but
still around 36% of the Bolivian population resides in rural
areas. Thereby 28.6% of the rural population is concentrated
in communities with between 61 and 120 households and
the remaining 71.4% in communities with 60 or fewer
households. Around 27% of the rural households have
access to basic services in general, with a rural electricity
coverage of 33% in absolute terms.
There is a high correlation between the number of rural
households in conditions of extreme poverty and the number
of households that do not have electricity; therefore 90.17%
of homes without electricity of the rural area correspond to
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households in extreme poverty. Due to the dispersion of the
rural population, renewable energies are of great importance
for the electrification needs of these households due to their
decentralized character.
Strategic Framework of the Energy Sector
According to the National Development Plan (NDP) of
the Bolivian government, the electricity sector must reestablish its leading and strategic role in order to guarantee
the electricity supply, ensuring universal access to this service
in a sustainable form and with social equity. To achieve this
goal, four policies and strategies are proposed:

Policy 1: Develop electricity infrastructure able to
satisfy the internal needs and generate surplus for
electricity exportation.
Policy 2: Increase the coverage of the electricity
service in the urban and rural area in order to
achieve the universalization of electricity.
Policy 3: Independence and sovereignty of the
energy system through the state´s declaration as
the proprietor of all the natural resources and the
use of the renewable energies.
Policy 4: Consolidate State participation in
the development of the electricity sector with
sovereignty and social equity.
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The renewable energy business
The renewable energy sector has great potential in Bolivia;
however, there is not a big number of companies that operate
in the value chain of research, development and production of
these type of energies, due to the lack of a policy frame, the low
profitability and high technological costs.
An important share of the market is concentrated in the
hydropower sector, destined to electricity supply in the urban
and rural areas of the country. The companies operating in
this sector are mainly medium and large.
The business activities in other renewable energy sectors are
marginal, with the exception of solar energy, which has a
moderate penetration in the rural areas of the country.
In many cases, renewable energy enters the market with
international cooperation financing. Therefore there is a
lack of formal market structures and there is a trend leading
to the association between NGOs and companies.
The opportunities faced by renewable energy companies are
mainly related to the fact that there are wide rural zones with
low levels of electricity coverage. Decentralized renewable
energy systems can give a solution to the electrification
needs of about 90% of the households in remote areas.
The challenges faced by the companies can be categorized
as follows:

lack of an energy policy and regulation that
promotes the use of renewable energies;
distortions introduced through subsidies that create
unfair prices between renewable and conventional
energies;
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lack of financing mechanisms for the
implementation of renewable energies to cope with
the low payment capacity for energy of the rural
population; and
deficit of qualified human resources and delays in
the technological adaptation.
Research and teaching of renewable energies at the
Bolivian Catholic University
Research and teaching about renewable energies is not
yet fully established in the Bolivian Catholic University.
Currently, there are related activities in the Institute of
Socio-Economic Studies (IISEC) that works topics in
Energy Economics. In turn, the recently founded Institute of
Applied Research (IIA) of the Faculty of Exact Sciences and
Engineering carries out research in solar energy and biofuels
from non-edible materials. In the Faculty of Architecture
research on solar architecture has been realized.
Regarding the academic program, the Faculty of Economics
offers individual courses as part of its Bachelor and
Master’s degree programs, which include the subjects of
Energy Economics and Economics of Environment and
Natural Resources. At postgraduate level, the Masters for
Development program, founded in co-operation with the
Harvard Institute for Economic Development, offers a
Diploma course in Energy Planning and Management of
Energy Systems that includes RE topics.
34
The Faculty of Engineering includes renewable energy topics
in the programs of Chemical Engineering, Environmental
Engineering and Industrial Engineering. The topic has
a general approach in all specializations, emphasizing
windpower, solar and geothermal energy. Subjects offered
in the Bachelor degree are Introduction to Energy and
Natural Resources, Environmental Economics and Natural
Resources and Environmental Impact.
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2 – The JELARE surveys in Bolivia
Methodology
The aspects related to the sample design for the surveys
are briefly explained below, in addition to the general
methodology description in Chapter 1:

Renewable energy market survey: the initial list
of companies was obtained from the Vice Ministry
of Electricity and Alternative Energies (VMEAE).
Companies from other sectors that operate or could
be interested in working in the field of renewable
energy (communications, mining, industry, etc.)
were also identified and contacted. 80% of the
companies were interest in participating in the
survey. A total of thirty companies, NGOs and
public institutions were interviewed.
Staff survey: first, the university programs that
could include renewable energy topics were
identified. Next, the director of each relevant
degree program was asked to provide a list of
professors who work in or could be interested in
working with the topic. Finally, the questionnaire
was applied to nine people who were interested in
participating.
Benchmarking survey: for this survey the
homepages of universities of Bolivia’s four largest
cities were reviewed to identify those with
programs that could include renewable energy
topics. After confirmation by phone that there are
activities in the field of renewable energies, five,
out of ten universities, participated in the survey.
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Surveys with people or entities located in La Paz were done
personally by previously trained interviewers. The rest of the
surveys were done by fax or email. For the evaluation of all the
surveys the Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) was
used.
Focus groups
In addition to the surveys, two focus groups were carried out.
The main purpose was to obtain qualitative information from
some of the actors previously interviewed to complement
the quantitative data of the survey. One focus group was
conducted with three professors working in the field of
renewable energies and three representatives of the market.
The second focus group was held by four professors, experts
on the topic, and two representatives of government entities
and international cooperation working with renewable
energy. The discussion was guided through a compendium
of key questions. The participants’ contributions were later
transcribed to add key quotations to the survey results.
2.1 - Market survey results
Characteristics of the renewable energy organizations
From the thirty interviewed organizations, 73.3% are private
companies, 13.3% are non-governmental organizations,
10% are government entities and 3.3% operate in the
country as international cooperation organizations. It is
worth mentioning that the sample for this survey is highly
significant and the typology of the surveyed organizations
reflects the weigh of actors in the market. Results show
i.e., solar thermal
that most of the companies and organizations work in the
and photovoltaic.
sectors of hydropower and solar energy. There are also, in
a lower scale, activities in the rural windpower generation,
biomass and biogas.
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It is interesting to observe that most of the companies are
engaged in planning activities, whereas a small number works
in research and development. This situation reflects the huge
market set-back regarding its capacity of technological
adaptation. In functional terms most of the companies
operate in the following areas of the value chain:

planning, project management and marketing (63%);

education and training (47%);

service, maintenance and repair (37%);

operation and administration (37%);

electrical engineering (33%); and

research and development (27%).
1 - i.e. evaluation,
certification,
planning, project
management,
marketing.
2 - i.e.
mechanical
engineering
and plant
construction.
Regarding the future perspectives of the RE market, it is
highlighted that the companies plan to operate in the short
and medium term in the sectors of windpower, hydropower,
biofuels and biomass. However, the market size is still very
small, thus most of the institutions have planned to work
in consulting areas1 and, on a smaller scale, in the project
development2 itself .
Most of the private corporations are small companies with a
total income not higher than 50,000 euros in 2008, according
to the survey. This is reflected in the organizational structure,
where more than half of the interviewed institutions range
in two ranks, from one to five or from six to nineteen
employees. Considering the specific employment in the
field of renewable energy, three-quarters of the companies
employ fewer than twenty people.
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Bolivian companies are generally technology suppliers, not
producers. Costs of technological development are very high
considering the size of the renewable energy market. On this
subject, the manager of a small solar energy company said:
‘Imported Chinese equipment is cheaper; manufacturing is
a waste of time for me. We just adapt the systems to the
local reality and sell them for a slightly higher price.’
The renewable energy market in Bolivia does not function
in a regular way regarding price-fixing and conditions of
competition, as another businessman states: ‘You cannot give
the final client your real price, everything is subsidized by
the international co-operation; you have to associate with an
NGO to stay in the market.’
Qualification of professionals in renewable energy
Only one-third of the organizations declare that there are
university graduates and technicians available in the field
of renewable energies; the majority rates the availability as
scarce or insufficient. The bigger part of the organizations
employs technicians as well as university graduates, with a
slightly higher percentage of technicians. Only a small part
employs people with business competences.
i.e., sales,
assembly and
installation.
The survey results confirm that the main areas of activity
in the renewable energy sector are related to services;
production and manufacturing are carried out on a smaller
scale and research and development activities are not
significant. So the problems of the sector are clearly related
to the requirement of specialized technical qualifications.
Nearly all companies hire their employees directly, not
through external agencies. However, government entities
use public calls. The problems the organizations deal
with when hiring new professionals are, in almost every
case, the lack of specialized technical qualifications; and,
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in a smaller percentage (40%), lack of multidisciplinary
qualifications or lack of applicants (33%). Only one out
of thirty organizations declared not to have problems in
finding adequate personnel. This situation could worsen in
the future, because in the short, as well as in the medium
term, around half of the organizations forecast a positive
tendency in employment, while another important part
envisages at least a constant trend.
Training of the companies’ staff in renewable energy
As expected, all interviewed organizations confirmed their
need for some kind of training for their staff. According to
the survey, the highest requirement is oriented to programs
of coaching and learning on the job. This result is coherent
with the need to increase the specific technical qualifications
of their personnel. Also considered as important by the
participants are the measures of in-house training with
external support and training at further education and
research institutions. Less important are programs of
e-learning and blended learning.
First of all, new specialized technical competences are
required. The strengthening of existing basic competences is
also given great importance. One businessman who took part
in the focus group highlighted this:
i.e., intensive
seminars and
certificate
courses.
We look for people who studied sciences,
not technology. Since we are a company
that develops technology, we do not need
people trained to read a catalog or import
certain equipment, but people who can
develop technology, who know about math,
physics and chemistry. I think the quality of
competences in these basic subjects is one of
the main deficiencies.
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Less importance is granted to the acquisition of
multidisciplinary competences such as communication skills,
foreign languages and social competences. Nevertheless
this perception can be contrasted with the opinion of a
representative of a company in a focus group:
It would be useful to grant scholarships
to students to give them the opportunity
to go abroad. They could acquire social
competences and communication skills that
are very important.
Graphic 2.1 shows the drivers for the required new
qualifications in the field of renewable energies and their
relevance according to the surveyed organizations (multiple
answers were possible).
Graphic 2.1 – Drivers for new qualifications in renewable energy.
Source: JELARE Survey, 2009.
As can be observed in Graphic 2.1, the main motivations
for the development of the mentioned competences are
product and process innovations. Likewise, market needs and
government policies and incentives are important reasons for
the development of qualifications by the staff.
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The representatives of the organizations agree that the
universities have to develop new courses and competences
in the field of renewable energies. However, it is not as
important to create new professions and/or occupational
profiles in the area (only 23% of the interviewed companies
are in favour), as to develop additional qualifications that
complement the initial vocational education (70% of the
interviewed organizations). One participant of the focus
group proposed:
Universities should focus on the topic
of Energy Economics. There should
be cooperation between the Faculty of
Engineering and the Faculty of Economics,
because often engineers develop solutions
lacking economic viability.
Interface between the renewable energy market and the
universities
So far, the contact and cooperation between companies and
universities is marginal. The universities research and build
prototypes that are not capitalized by the market. There is a
mutual distrust, as a professor of the Faculty of Engineering
in a focus group says, that hinders a fruitful cooperation.
The manager of a renewable energy company also mentions
[t]he lack of credibility of the universities
in other parts of the system like insurance
companies – they do not accept technologies
that are not internationally recognized, but
developed by national universities. This is one
of the reasons of the poor cooperation between
the private sector and the universities.
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The interviewed organizations expect from the universities
a contribution at two levels: on the one hand a reform
in education and training and, on the other, a bigger
contribution in basic research and development. Almost half
of the participants also hold that the universities should
work in process innovations, such as new procedures, and a
third part expect them to work on product innovations (new
products and materials).
When asked what types of services offered by Higher
Education Institutes they would be interested
in, the organizations expressed interest in many
different services. Graphic 2.2 shows the different
services and the participant’s level of interest for
each one of them (multiple answers were possible).
25%
Joint research and development
22%
Technology transfer
11%
Consultancy, advisory service
8%
Monitoring, evaluation
17%
Providing access to latest knowlegde
12%
Linking with business or research partners
Others
5%
Graphic 2.2 – Interest in services offered by universities.
42
As seen in Graphic 2.2, the services the companies require
from universities are mainly related to joint research and
development and technology transfer, followed by obtaining access
to the latest knowledge through universities. A considerable
part of the companies also expect the universities to provide
linking with business and research partners and consultancy and
advisory service. However, 93% of the survey participants
maintain that the current state of the universities regarding
renewable energies is behind the market needs.
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Main challenges for a wider application of renewable
energies in Bolivia
Among the major challenges to extend the use of renewable
energies, the implementation of supporting policies and
regulation standards stand out. The universities could play
a role in the development of regulation standards and
consultancy services for the government. Equally important
is the development of financing mechanisms and the
introduction of subsidies for renewable energy technologies
or at least the elimination of subsidies for fuel energy sources.
For the development of a competitive market of renewable
energy systems, the practice of international cooperation
organizations not to resort to the national market but to
import the equipment for their projects is considered
harmful. Finally, intensive information campaigns and a
new vision of university education have also been demanded
by the surveyed organizations.
2.2 – Staff survey results
Profile of the interviewed university staff
Analysing the description of the positions of the Bolivian
Catholic University (BCU) staff, there is an obvious emphasis
on education and administration, whereas research is not the
main focus of their activities. However, there seems to be a
contradiction in the description of the working areas as onethird of the interviewed staff declared, in the following section
of the survey, to work in research and development as well as
in education and training. But in the focus groups conducted
later, the participating professors highlighted the incipient
activity in research and development in the universities.
Only 22.2% of the staff has senior experience (10 years)
in topics related to renewable energies, which confirms
the huge quantitative and qualitative set-back in this
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area. At the same time, results show that only 11.11% of
the professors have experience in curriculum design and
research management. The combination of these results
allows assessing initially the huge difficulty implied when
implementing renewable energy subjects in the university.
The survey also shows a clear relationship between the
working or interest fields of the BCU staff in renewable
energies and the planned activities of the companies.
Both express their intention to operate in the sectors
of windpower, biomass and hydropower. However, this
apparent concordance is not reflected in reality, considering
the insignificant number of joint projects.
Interests and training needs of the staff
The professors’ intention to strengthen the topic of renewable
energy at the BCU is reflected in their high interest to
receive training in renewable energy technologies as well
as in curriculum design, development of teaching modules
and research management. Graphic 2.3 shows the sectors of
renewable energy technologies and the level of interest of the
university staff to receive capacity building in each area.
Graphic 2.3 – Training interest in RE technologies.
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The graphic shows a clear preference for training in the
areas of biomass, hydropower and windpower technologies,
followed by photovoltaic and solar thermal energy,
geothermal energy and hydrogen/fuel cells in equal
terms. Concerning training in curriculum design, most
participants have a clear preference for Master’s degree
programs, but there is also interest in PhD and joint
international programs. Regarding training in research
management, a major interest in funding opportunities and
research managerial capacities is specified. Only one-third
is interested in training in research fund management.
In general, most of the participants consider it as a major
need to improve their technical/vocational knowledge
and their skills in their area of teaching or research. The
same applies to their need to keep up to date with major
technological changes in renewable energies and to acquire
skills of renewable energy curriculum development.
Moreover, the majority describes it as a very important need
to have better research infrastructure, such as laboratories
and equipment. The same applies to the need for access to
a scientific database in renewable energies and the need to
participate in networking events in renewable energy such
as workshops, seminars, conferences and/or field visits to
industries.
Finally, the need for more collaboration between the BCU
and the renewable energy industry is seen as a major or very
important need by nearly all participants. A participant of
the focus group affirmed: “What we need are agreements
between the private sector and the universities with clear
terms of reference, rights and obligations for both parties –
agreements of mutual interests”.
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Strengthening of the renewable energy topic at the
university
All measures proposed in the survey, focused on the
introduction or strengthening of renewable energies at the
BCU, were qualified as important or very important by most
of the participants. The following table shows the percentages:
No
Need
Minor
Need
Definite
Need
Major
Need
Very
Important
Need
A – Academic programs
devoted to market needs
11.11%
11.11%
0.00%
55.56%
22.22%
B – Exchange programs
between HEIs and RE Market
11.11%
11.11%
0.00%
44.45%
33.33%
11.11%
0.00%
00.00%
44.44%
44.44%
11.11%
11.11%
0.00%
33.33%
44.45%
11.11%
11.11%
0.00%
33.33%
44.45%
11.11%
0.00%
0.00%
44.44%
44.44%
11.11%
11.11%
0.00%
11.11%
66.67%
Options
C – HEI’s partnership with RE
market
D – Applied technological
researches funded by the
market
E – Applied technological
researches funded by the
government
F – Internships for students
in RE companies
G – Constant analysis and
design of occupational plans
in RE
Table 2.1 – Percentage received by participants for each option and need level.
An important deficit was found in all the consulted
fields in the university, especially in the aspects related to
collaboration with the market.
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Therefore, the following measures are the most important
to strengthen:

partnership between the university and the
renewable energy market; and
internships for students in RE companies.
2.3 – Benchmark survey results
Renewable energy activities at other universities
The purpose of the benchmark survey is to compare the state of
the art of renewable energy at other universities in the Bolivian
system with the results of the UCB. A first approximation
can be done based on the balance of activities in renewable
energies and the universities’ degree of insertion in the field of
renewable energies, illustrated in Graphic 2.4.
Graphic 2.4 – Profile of universities regarding renewable energies.
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It can be observed, on the one hand, that a great part of the
universities have offered undergraduate and postgraduate
programs on topics related to renewable energies before
2007. On the other hand, most of the institutions do not have
research programs with foreign investment in the field. This
shows that the coherence of the technology development
chain is incipient. Most of the activities financed with
external funds in renewable energies are destined for the
rural area, through technology transfer at low scale and
in many cases with obsolete technology. In this current
situation, the set-back of the technological adaptation and
innovation processes in the country is evident.
More than half of the universities have conducted some
kind of research in renewable energies before 2007, usually
exploratory. Regrettably, in none of the surveyed institutions
are these activities sustained constantly over time, despite
many of them having partnerships with national and/
or international research networks. It is important to
remark that the current conditions for the conduction of
research projects are not adequate. For instance, none of
the universities has research laboratories financed by the
productive sector. It can be established that cooperation
between the universities and the renewable energy market
in general does not exist and that the quality of research
is deficient. This is illustrated by the fact that 80% of
the universities do not have registered patents or newly
developed technologies in the last few years.
Nearly 60% of the participants declared that their university
has policies in renewable energy as well as a value system that
promotes commitment in this area. 80% of the universities
also confirm that they have a strategy in the field of renewable
energy. However, it is recommended to be careful with these
results, as it is evident that there cannot be a strategy without
a policy; therefore it is incoherent that this last percentage is
higher than the first one.
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More than 80% of the participating universities work in
cooperation with public or private organizations and 60%
also have interdisciplinary programs about renewable
energy in their institutions. The level of market connection
of the universities in renewable energies seems interesting;
however the extension and frequency of the relationships
cannot be concluded from this information.
The survey shows that 40% of the participants use formal
practices of mentoring or coaching and the same percentage
let experienced staff from different areas of knowledge
transfer their know-how to students and teaching staff. It
is interesting that another 60% are planning to introduce
this last measure in the next two years. To receive external
training to keep up to date with the technological changes in
renewable energies is less common, which might be caused
by the fact that there is not of this kind of capacity building
on offer. Finally, none of the universities grants scholarships
in renewable energy.
The most common practice of knowledge acquirement is to
use knowledge on renewable energy obtained from other
market sources as companies and organizations, which is
applied by all participants. Another frequent practice is to
acquire knowledge from research institutions, done by 60%
of the universities before 2007 and planned by the rest of the
participants. This result demonstrates that the universities
do not have the budget to generate knowledge and therefore
need to choose, almost exclusively, mechanisms that reduce
their transaction costs (by the use of Internet sources).
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Education and research in renewable energy at other
universities
The survey results show that in the area of renewable
energies, education prevails over research activities in all
the interviewed universities. Most educational activities are
concentrated in the sectors of hydropower, solar thermal
and photovoltaic energy, followed by windpower and biogas.
There are research activities in all renewable energy sectors
except for geothermal and hydrogen/fuel cells, but only
20% of the participants research in each sector. Graphic 2.5
shows what the research/teaching ratio looks like for each
type of renewable energy.
Graphic 2.5 – Research/teaching activities in renewable energy.
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All the universities have specific programs or courses in
renewable energy, whereby 70% correspond to courses of
initial formation in the frame of a Bachelor’s degree and
only 30% have a higher level of specialization. Only one of
the institutions has a Master’s degree exclusively dedicated
to renewable energies. Likewise, 80% of the universities
have a department, institute or research group in the field of
renewable energy. Half of them are exclusively dedicated to
renewable energies, whereas the other half includes topics
of renewable energy.
Finally, we must emphasize that none of the participant
universities have a multi-year investment budget dedicated
exclusively to research in renewable energies and therefore
there is a lack of sustainable long-term research programs.
This shows the structural limitations and the poor financial
conditions of the higher education system in this country.
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3 - Conclusions
Conclusions of the renewable energy market survey
The RE market in Bolivia is concentrated in the areas of
hydropower, photovoltaic and solar thermal energy. Most
of the private and public organizations operate only in one
sector, although a considerable number of them are planning
to extend their range of products, especially in the areas of
windpower, low generation hydropower and biomass and/
or biofuels.
e.g. electric
engineering
or plant
construction.
Most of the companies currently work in planning and
training, whereas only a small number carries out research
and development activities or project development.
This is mainly due to the lack of government policies or
incentives and the reduced market size. Therefore, the sector
operates – except for the hydropower sector – with small
companies or micro companies, which act almost exclusively
as technology suppliers.
The demand for technicians and university graduates in
RE is considerably higher than the supply. The lack of
specialized technical qualifications is the most common
problem for the companies when hiring staff. This situation
can worsen in the mid term, because most of the companies
forecast a positive or at least constant trend in their staff
requirements.
To cover the increasing requirements of RE specialists,
the organizations can also train their current staff instead
of recruiting new employees. Among the planned capacity
building opportunities, training and learning on the job is
the most common. The main motivations for these measures
are product and process innovations and, to a smaller extent,
market needs, as well as government policies and incentives.
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According to the surveyed companies, the current state of
the Higher Education Institutions regarding renewable
energies is far behind the market needs. Cooperation
between universities and the market is minimal. However,
private and public organizations expect the universities to
contribute with more and better education and training and
to encourage research and basic development. In addition, a
strengthening of technology transfer activities as well as the
joint development of research projects is required.
Conclusions of the staff survey
The most important results of the staff survey are:

the insufficient research and development activity
at the university;
the huge quantitative and qualitative set-back in
the field of renewable energy; and
the lack of cooperation with the RE market.
The low number of research projects is related to the
reduced budget destined for this purpose, whereas the
quality responds more to the lack of long-term planning
and the deficit of human resources. On the one hand, the
university staff does not have the appropriate infrastructure
for research activities at their disposal and their access to
information sources is very limited. On the other, there is a
clear lack of capacities in fundraising and management and
in the development of a sustained strategy for research.
The set-back regarding renewable energies has similar
causes. There is no integral strategy for renewable energies
in any particular institute, nor formal cooperation
mechanisms between different institutes or faculties of the
university. The professors do not have financial resources at
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their disposal to promote a greater inclusion of renewable
energy topics, nor do they have easy access to specialized
information sources or infrastructure. Furthermore, a lack
of mechanisms to detect market developments and to adjust
the study programs to their needs has to be added.
A clear correspondence between the staff ’s training
interests and the development plans of the companies can
be highlighted. Both actors manifested their intention
to operate more intensively in the sectors of windpower,
biomass and hydropower. The university staff highlights the
need to receive training that allows improving the support to
the market through the building of capacities and through
required services in the field of research. It is consequently
very important to design institutional mechanisms that
permit a stronger association among Higher Education
Institutions and companies.
Conclusions of the benchmarking survey
The survey conducted with other Bolivian universities has
fully confirmed the results obtained at the BCU. There is
also a greater emphasis in education than in research in the
renewable energy field. Although a high percentage of the
universities claim to have done research before 2007, their
activities in most cases are not constantly maintained.
This happens because none of the participant universities
has a multi-year budget exclusively dedicated to research in
renewable energies and therefore cannot often sustain longterm research programs. At the same time, infrastructure
conditions and access to information sources are also very
limited.
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Finally, the results show that most of the professors have not
recently received any kind of training in renewable energies.
This situation is directly related to the low quality and poor
sustainability of education and research. There is, however,
great interest in starting integrated activities related with
the RE market needs, as well as with the electrification
needs of rural population.
Lessons learned
The survey conducted by the JELARE Project with the
Higher Education Institutions and market actors in the
field of renewable energies has permitted an analysis of
this segment at different levels of interaction. In this sense,
three important lessons were learned which reflect the global
interaction of the sector as well as its structural aspects:

the technological cycle is not linked to the higher
education system. This is reflected in very low levels
of technology transfer, technological adaptation
and innovation and in the lack of technicians and
specialized engineers in the country;
education and research are not fitted for the market
needs because there are no linking and feedback
mechanisms with the renewable energy market.
Therefore the universities offer insufficient study
programs and develop technological prototypes
which do not get exploited by the market, and the
companies do not have clear incentives for the use
of education, training and research services; and
education and research are not sustainable because
the Higher Education Institutions lack an integral
strategy and financing mechanisms for planned
and structured activities in long-term programs.
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Chapter 3 – Brazil
1 – Renewable energy market in Brazil
The Brazilian electrical industry is now predominantly
hydroelectric, and is complemented with hydrothermal
output. Table 3.1 shows the installed capacity of electrical
power generation in Brazil in 2006.
Source
Capacity (MW)
(%)
Hydroelectric power plants (HEP)1
72,005.41
74.78
Small Hydroelectric Central (SHC)
Thermoelectric power plants (TPP)
Wind generator
Photovoltaic generator
Thermonuclear power plants
Total2
1,673.06
20,372.13
236.85
0.02
2,007.00
96,294.47
1.74
21.16
0.25
0.00
2.08
100.00
Table 3.1 – Installed capacity of energy generation at SIN (2006).
Source: Aneel Report, 2006.
1 – Taking into
account
6,300 MW from
Itaipu.
2 – Not
considering
imported energy.
3 – This fact
depends
essentially on
the degree of
flexibility or
inflexibility of
each plant.
In practice, HEP accounts for more than 90% of the
electricity generated in Brazil, due to criteria which favour
sources that cost less. Although the thermoelectric power
plants account for 23.24% of the installed capacity, they
are responsible for less than 10% of the energy produced3
because of their higher production cost. It is important to
note that, unlike many countries, approximately 89% of
Brazilian electrical energy comes from renewable sources.
Table 3.2 presents an appraisal of Brazilian electrical source
competitiveness at an installed capacity of 1,000 MW.
Note that hydropower is more competitive (in R$/MWh),
however it takes longer to build – approximately 5 years –
and has greater environmental restrictions.
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Although the costs of production are extremely important
for defining dispatch criteria for distribution, they are not
per se investment constraints. This is because the auction
and therefore the sources are defined in advance by Aneel
and EPE.
Unit.
Hydroelectric
Biomass
National
coal
Nuclear
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
Disp.
MW
Variable
Unit Cost
R$/Mwh
1.5
14.7
37.5
25.2
Fixed cost
R$/Kw
year
11.3
46.0
57.8
138.0
Investment
US$/KW
1,250
1,100
1,500
2,000
Rate of
equilibrium
R$/
MWh
116.4
121.1
133.3
151.6
Table 3.2 (part 1) – Competitiveness among electricity sources.
Source: Moreira, 2008.
Unit.
Imported
coal
Natural
gas
Wind
Fuel oil
Diesel
Disp.
MW
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
Variable
Unit Cost
R$/
Mwh
54.3
108.6
4.5
300
500
Fixed cost
R$/Kw
year
57.8
57.5
4.0
28.0
25.0
Investment
US$/KW
1,500
900
2,000
800
600
Rate of
equilibrium
R$/
MWh
152.4
175.0
297.0
382.9
602.2
Table 3.2 (part 2) – Competitiveness among electricity sources.
Source: Moreira, 2008.
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Growth trends in renewable energy
Hydroelectric generation
Historically, the Brazilian electrical sector was developed
based on the country’s great hydroelectric potential, and
expansion was made possible due to the large number of
rivers, lakes and other hydrological regimes. Industries
have been developed strongly based on complementarities Which means that
among different water areas by means of the construction of wet periods occur
large reservoirs and long transmission lines.
in one region
while dry periods
Large reservoirs have been used primarily to maintain the in others.
security of the system, and to offer better control of electricity
production in the dry season. Transmission lines have
allowed the optimization of water resources and helped take
advantage of rainfall regime diversity among regions.
However, the 1988 Constitution generated greater concern
about environmental issues, essentially focused on the
consequences of flooding, leading to a reduction in major
new reservoir construction.
Moreover, when it comes to water, we must not only consider
its multiples uses, but the interests of various stakeholders
as well. Fortunately, there are now significant barriers to the
Human and
construction of major new reservoirs in Brazil.
animal supply,
irrigation,
It is estimated that the hydroelectric potential yet to be industrial,
tapped in the country is approximately 126 GW. From this fisheries,
total, approximately 70% is in the Amazon basin, where recreation, etc.
rivers surrounded by floodplains predominate and large
reservoir construction is impossible, so hydropower will
have to take the form of run-of-the-river plants.
Without adding the remaining non-individualized
potential (28,000 MW ), the potential in the basin is
estimated at 77,058 MW, distributed among 13 sub59
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Tapajós, Xingu,
Madeira and
Trombetas.
basins, with four of them concentrating almost 90% of
the potential. Still, according to PNE data, by 2030 (EPE)
only 38% of the potential could be classified as exploitable
without easing significant environmental restrictions.
The increased use of run-of-the-river plants, which do
not require seasonal regulation, will reduce the capacity
of the system’s strategic reserve and will also require major
operational flexibility from existing reservoirs. Besides, it will
require more installed capacity for backup power plants.
i.e., thermal
flexible,
especially
in periods
of adverse
hydrology.
However, there are significant restrictions to the use of this
potential, due to social, environmental and technological
issues, especially the former. As Dias Leite states (2007,
p. 549), ‘the chance of nonviability of some projects has
to be present, since there are strong disagreements of
environmental, social and political nature.’ Take as an
example that more than 44% of the potential is directly
related to indigenous land.
Such restrictions indicate that there is a growing urgent
need for a diverse energy matrix. Moreover, it is important
to notice the need for more in depth studies on the aptitude
of this potential.
New renewable resources
Biomass, wind
energy and solar
energy.
With regard to new renewable resources to generate
electricity, emphasis should be given to energy generated
from biomass, especially sugar-alcohol. The Brazilian sugaralcohol sector is traditionally self-sufficient in terms of
energy (Castro and Dantas, 2008a). The use of waste as
fuel accounts for 98% of the energy needs of the factories
(Corrêa and Ramon, 2002). According to Souza e Azevedo
(2006), entrepreneurs from the sugar-alcohol sector are
investing in more efficient co-generation technology to
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guarantee its provision in a streamlined manner. Thus, the
emerging possibility of marketing the electricity produced
from sugar-alcohol biomass can generate a third product
offered by this sector.
Biomass as a source for generating electricity is among
the renewable sources with more possibilities in terms of
nature, origin and technology available for conversion. The
main sources of energy from biomass are: soybean straw,
corn (cobs, stalks and leaves), rice straw, and sugarcane crop
residue.
It is of note that the complementary nature of the wet
season and sugar-alcohol production allows bioelectrical
production to mitigate hydrological risk (Castro and
Dantas, 2008a). The production of electricity from sugaralcohol plants occurs between April and November, which
is normally the dry season in the southeast region, where
around 70% of Brazilian reservoirs are concentrated.
In an effort to promote the economic viability of this energy
source, the first reserve energy project was conducted in
August 2008, using biomass exclusively. An average of
2101.60 MW was available during the project, and an
average of 548 MW (Castro and Dantas, 2008b) was actually
contracted. These results, according to the authors, indicate
a new scenario for this RE source, due to solutions1 that
had been impairing development of this business model.
When it comes to wind and photovoltaic (solar) energy,
Brazil has significant competitive advantages due to its vast
territory, especially of coastline, which is conducive for wind
energy. The estimated wind energy potential for the country
is around 143.5 GW2, majorly situated in the northeast.
Apart from this region, the coastlands of the states Rio
Grande do Sul and Rio de Janeiro (northern coast) of are
1 – Fixing a
higher ceiling
price and
resolving
problems
regarding
collecting
stations.
2 – According to
the Atlas
do Potencial
Eólico Brasileiro
(2001),
available at
<http://www.
cresesb.cepel.
br/ >
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considered quite favourable. Mountainous areas of the
hinterland also contain several propitious sites, while the
north is the least favoured in relation to windpower energy.
Study, planning and construction of new windpower plants
have been intensified. The restrictions and environmental
impact of wind farms are mainly related to noise from the
aerogenerators’ motion and drive mechanics, as well as their
visual impact.
With respect to solar energy, Brazil is also well situated. With
its territory located mostly in latitudes between the equator
and the Tropic of Capricorn, the country has a favourable
incidence of solar energy. The instantaneous power incident
on the Earth’s surface can reach values above 1,000 W/m2.
The annual average energy incidence in most of Brazil’s
territory varies between 4 kWh/m2.day and 5 kWh/m2.day.
It is characterized, like windpower, as intermittent, because
of the significant variation in solar incidence over the year.
Furthermore, the operation of solar plants may cause:

thermal and chemical pollution to water resources;

loss of habitat due to land use;

visual impact;

noise and damage to the ecosystem.
The first two are considered the most important, curtailing
the possible exploitation of this potential.
Regarding natural resources and the consequent diversification
of the electrical matrix, the evolutionary forecast is described
in Table 3.3. There is a noticeable trend towards greater use
of the sources that make up the Brazilian electric matrix.
Auction results of new energy produced by 2008 show a
significant trend towards gas and coal sources, especially
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the latter, which is imported. A significant tendency can be
observed towards smaller plants (PCHs and PCTs14) built
closer to load centres, which require lower investments in
long distance transmission lines.
Source
Hydroelectric
Thermal 1
Nuclear
PCHs
PCTs
Windpower
Others
Itaipu (BR)
Purchase
Itaipu (PY)
Total
2007
66,295
11,086
2,007
268
489
218
2,425
7,000
2008
66,425
12,115
2,007
934
509
487
3,481
7,000
2009
67,105
13,764
2,007
1,126
509
720
4,292
7,000
2010
69,247
16,100
2,007
1,126
509
720
4,567
7,000
2011
70,776
16,260
2,007
1,126
509
720
4,637
7,000
2012
70,824
17,735
2,007
1,126
509
720
4,637
7,000
6,455
6,410
6,055
6,017
5,978
5,937
96,243
99,368
102,578
107,293
109,013
110,495
Table 3.3 – Projected evolution of installed power SIN Grid (MW).
Source: ONS, http:www.ons.org.br.
2 – The JELARE Surveys in Brazil
1 – Includes
natural gas, coal
and biomass.
General methodology
Qualitative approach methodology, which, according to
Oliveira (1998), allows a wide range of readings about the
subject of study, was used in this research project. The research
was conducted through semi-structured questionnaires
designed by Unisul and adapted and approved by JELARE
aiming to target the wide audience of the JELARE Project.
The audience is made up of Brazilian companies and
universities.
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As a research methodology we chose qualitative research
that, according to Ghauri and Gronhaug (2005), provides
a better understanding of a given context and underlying
motivations, values and attitudes. Based on these distinctions,
we have applied the qualitative approach aiming to gain a
deep understanding about the gap between the market needs
and what the universities have to offer in terms of research
and education by interpreting primary and secondary data,
mainly process-oriented rather than result-oriented.
In this sense, there were two types of questionnaires:

one directed to firms, attempting to understand
RE market requirements for university graduates;
the other aimed to assess employees training needs
at the universities that offer RE programs, as well as
analysing the benchmarking results.
The questionnaire results and statistics analysis were done
by Sphinx software.
The surveyed companies were:

Desenvix, from the Engevix Group;

Komlog, from the Komeco Group;

SC Parcerias S.A.;

Tractebel Energia S.A.;

CELESC – Centrais Elétricas de Santa Catarina
S.A.;
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Enercam;

Instituto Ideal;

Fundação CERTI – Fundação Centros de
Referência em Tecnologias Inovadoras;

Sapiens Parque S.A.;

Canasvieiras Transportes;

Haztec Soluções Integradas em Sustentabilidade;

Dedini S. A. Indústria de Base;

Petrobras Distribuidora S.A.;

SC Gás S.A.; and

Progetti Pesquisa e Gestão Tecnológica S.A.
The universities involved were:

Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina – UNISUL;
Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina –
UDESC; and
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina – UFSC,
with the special collaboration of the Laboratory
of Engineering Processes and Technology for
Energy Conversion (LEPTEN) of the Mechanical
Engineering Department.
The three surveys focused on the labour market, mainly
covering those industries and organizations capable of
influencing the supply and/or demand of qualified personnel.
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The analysis that follows, based on the samples, examines:

the market survey;

the staff survey; and

the universities that offer programs in the field of RE.
2.1 – Market survey results
The sample comprised fifteen responding companies, of
which thirteen are in Florianopolis and two in Rio de Janeiro.
In relation to corporate membership, 73.3% were private
enterprises, and the remaining 26.3%, were divided between
government and NGOs. The following characteristics
drawn from the collected data should be highlighted:

the Brazilian market is mainly oriented towards
hydroelectric energy generation: 93.33% of the
interviewed firms have some kind of interest in the
development of projects related to renewable energy.
The research also demonstrates that the majority of
the surveyed companies (60%) develop projects in
RE through some form of partnership or strategic
alliance. On the other hand, 20% stated that they
develop autonomous projects, while another 10%
outsource the development of such projects. It is
very clear that there is an opportunity to join the
universities and their research groups, development
and innovation activities through a partnership or
outsourcing to the productive sector;
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there is a lack of skilled workers in Brazilian RE
market: 86.6% of the firms have difficulties in
finding skilled professionals to work in the RE area.
Thus, there is a significant gap between supply and
availability of vacancies for professionals in this
area. It is possible to observe that the demand for
skilled workers goes beyond the technical area to
cover virtually all areas of knowledge, especially
management;
results show a scarcity of skilled professionals: on
the determinants of new skills, several items were
identified, with emphasis on innovation in processes,
17.6%; innovation in products, 15.7%.
Basic innovations, 9.8%; regulation of industry and relevant
laws, 37.3%; and management and market studies, 17.6%.
From the results presented above we ascertained that there
is a great distance between the universities and the market in
all the elements of the RE production chain. Thus, there is an
urgent need for an objective approach by HEIs in response
to the demands for future qualified labour. Another aspect
underscored by the results is the need for major integration
between HEIs and public and private companies in the RE
field. This means the promotion of a comprehensive reform in
current course offerings by HEIs, characteristic of the mission
of most institutions of higher education. It is also evident that,
from the standpoint of the surveyed companies, HEIs are
outdated when it comes to RE.
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Regarding the subjective answers, respondents were asked
about the biggest challenge for a wide application and use
of RE in Brazil. Two issues were made clear from the replies:

for greater investment in RE, a greater governmental
incentive is needed. That is to say that this issue will
be resolved by means of an energy policy focused on
increasing RE participation in the Brazilian energy
matrix; and
regarding the former question, many companies
state that the cost of production and market price
of electricity from renewable sources is not very
competitive.
The questionnaire was applied to the universities, in
order to rank them in the RE market. Seven respondents
participated:

four from UNISUL;

one from UDESC/ESAG; and

two from UFSC.
All the respondents are professors or researchers. 87.5% of
them work in engineering departments while the others
work in administration.
Regarding the professional development of the professors, it
is clear that the universities and their research departments
still require massive training/qualification in the RE area.
According to the respondents, this need is both technical
and managerial. In the latter, the respondents emphasized
both resource and research management in RE.
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Thus, according to all interviewees, HEIs must offer more
academic programs directed towards the RE sector. In this
sense, the majority also see the possibility of increasing
research and education programs with both public and
private funding.
2.3 – Benchmarking survey results
The questionnaire on benchmarking was used to rank the
HEIs in terms of the RE market. The most significant results
are presented below. Regarding curriculum development,
75% of the respondents are not working in that direction yet.
This implies that there is a great opportunity for universities.
As shown by the figures below, there is a significant opening
for project development, since universities are interested in
training and courses.

Most scholars want to receive more training in the
RE field.
Solar energy generation was the preferred field
of work as well as the source of greatest interest,
followed by biomass and fuel cells.
Of universities and departments whose work with RE began
before 2007, 12.5% operate post-graduate programs and
research projects using foreign investment, with laboratories
funded by companies. Of those whose work in RE began
after 2007, 62.5% do so through laboratories and integrate
national and international networks of RE research. As for
RE-related programs in universities, the principal methods
are collaboration with public and/or private institutions,
and utilization of expertise from many different scientific
areas for teaching students and training young employees.
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Regarding RE policies and strategies, only 37.5% of the
HEIs have implemented them since 2007, and then merely
for the dissemination of values and organizational culture
promoting renewable energy. However, most of them plan
to adopt strategies and policies in the coming years.
Regarding knowledge acquisition, 12.5% became familiar
with the topic before 2007, particularly through businesses,
and 50% through research institutes. As in the former answer,
37.5% predict an upswing in RE knowledge acquisition in
the next few years. These two answers demonstrate that RE
is a significant area and has growth potential within HEIs.
3 – Conclusions
The main finding of the three surveys conducted in Brazil
suggest that there is a significant gap between the RE market
requirements and needs and what indeed the universities are
offering in terms of research and teaching. With regard to
capacity building, the surveys indicated that the universities
according to the stakeholders are not prepared to supply the
market needs. The surveys also indicated that there are more
needs for investments in the universities infrastructure in
order to better respond to the growing market needs for
research and training in the field of renewable energies.
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Chapter 4 - Chile
1 – Energy market in Chile
General framework
The Chilean energy supply for 2007 reached 301.381 GWh.
This supply is composed of five energy sources: crude oil,
natural gas, coal, hydropower, biomass and other resources.
In 2008, Law 20.257 came into effect, which established
the obligation of electric companies to obtain a percentage
of commercialized energy from non-conventional renewable
energy sources (ERNC) starting in 2010. Specifically, the law
states that each electric company that purchases energy from
power systems with installed capacity greater than 200 MW,
in commerce with distributors or end users, must prove that
a quantity of energy, equivalent to 10% of its purchases in
each year, has been injected into one of the non-conventional
renewable energy generator sources: their own or contracted.
Between the years 2010 and 2014, the obligation to supply
energy with non-conventional renewable generators will be 5%.
After 2015, this percentage will increase 0.5% annually, up to
10% in the year 2024. This progressive increase will be applied
in such a way that purchases affected by the obligation in 2015
must comply with 5.5%, in 2016 with 6% and so on, up to 10%
in the year 2024, as is shown in Graphic 4.1.
Graphic 4.1 – Annual obligations established by Law 20.257.
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Given the above, Chile’s near future will obviously find
a significant increase in the use of renewable energies in
their energy system. For this reason, Chile must improve
the technical skills of those who will manage and operate
systems that generate this kind of energy. Thus, a primary
objective for the short and medium term will be to improve
both teaching and research in renewable energies at Higher
Education Institutions (HEIs).
To examine the current situation of teaching and researching
in the area of renewable energy and to help define the future
needs in this area, three different surveys were designed
to gather information from the labour market, HEIs and
internal staff at the University of Chile. The methodology to
develop the proposed surveys focused on two main aspects:
the sample selection and logistics. In the section on sample
selection, the criteria applied to select the respondents
for our survey and design the database are described. The
section on logistics details how contacts were made and how
information moved amongst those involved in this project.
2 – The JELARE surveys in Chile
Sample selection
The sample selection and the criteria applied to design
the database differ depending on the survey objective. The
different methodologies used for the market survey, the
benchmarking survey, and the staff survey are described
below.
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Market Survey Results
For companies located in the Santiago area, an initial contact
was established by means of an email or phone call, and
personal appointments were then scheduled. Companies
located outside Santiago were supposed to answer the
survey without a personal interview, but only one company
responded. The final sample of sixteen companies is detailed
in Table 4.1.
Company name
Agrosuper
CDEC-Sing
Colbún S.A
Gener
Ingendesa
Transelec S.A
Codelco
Collahuasi
Contac
Electronet
Poch Ambiental
National Energy Comission
Chile Sustentable
CMPC Tissue Chile
Deuman
EndesaEco
Sector
Agriculture/food
Energy
Energy
Energy
Energy
Energy
Mining
Mining
Other/consulting
Other/consulting
Other/consulting
Other/government agency
Other/NGO
Pulp and paper
Renewable energy
Renewable energy
Table 4.1 – Final surveyed companies.
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Staff survey
The staff survey was conducted among university professors,
project managers and researchers who were chosen for their
research and teaching interests within selected academic units.
The academic units were selected based on the Domeyko
Energy program, whose objective is to strengthen the
university capabilities to face issues of national concern.
http://www.
derecho.uchile.
cl/cda/cda/
The three surveys described above were performed
programa_
considering the following criteria:
domeyko/index.
html
members of the survey team were not allowed to
provide answers and/or fill out surveys in order to
provide statistical validation;

interviewed contacts could not answer more than
one survey (this criterion maintained the statistical
independence of the answers provided);
personal interviews were given first priority.
However, potential contacts located outside
Santiago were also considered and were approached
electronically (by email).
Logistics
The survey logistics were organized as shown in Figure 4.1.
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Figure 4.1 – Survey team logistic organization.
10/10/26 14:25
Figure 4.1 shows the flow of information related to the
surveys. The coordination area is in charge of developing
a database with potential contacts to be interviewed for
the three surveys and for making the initial contact with
prospective respondents. Once the contact responds that he/
she will participate, the field team is advised. The field team
is in charge of applying the survey, processing and storing
the data collected. Finally, when a survey is completed, final
data is supplied to the coordination area.
Benchmarking survey
There are currently fifty-eight universities in Chile, but not
all of them do research and teach in the field of energy.
Based on Conicyt studies, there are thirty-four research
centres in Chile developing research lines on energy, and
most of these are located in universities. Among the main
research lines developed by those centres, non-conventional
renewable energy predominates in nineteen centres. A
smaller number of centres (eleven centres) carry out research
on electric energy. Seven centres focus their research on the
energy field. In general these thirty-four centres are located
in eleven universities. Additionally two more universities
that created energy centres in 2008 were added to the initial
sample. These thirteen universities constitute the initial
database for the survey development. Once contact with
the universities was established, the final sample of seven
universities were interested in participating in this project
as detailed below in Table 4.2.
Conicyt. “El
sector de
la energía
en Chile.
Capacidades de
investigación
y áreas de
desarrollo
científicotecnológico”.
Santiago, Chile,
2007.
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University name
Universidad Federico Santa María
Universidad Diego Portales
Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez
Universidad de Antofagasta
Universidad de Santiago
Pontificia Universidad Católica
Universidad de Tarapacá
Table 4.2 – Interviewed universities for benchmark survey.
In this section, survey results for three targets, Staff, Market
and Universities (benchmarking), are presented below.
88% of the companies in the sample are in the private
sector; 6% are state-owned and 6% are non-governmental
organizations (NGOs). 42% are in the mining sector. 75%
operate within the energy sector (gas, electricity, oil) and 50%
of these operate in both the energy and renewable energy
sectors. 25% of the companies operate in the agriculture
sector as well as in the paper and pulp industry. Only 8% of
the sample operate in the steel sector.
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Graphic 4.2 – Type of organisation.
10/10/26 14:25
92% of the companies surveyed are interested in developing
renewable energy projects. 8% either do not know, or are not
sure, if there will be money available for renewable energy
projects.
The results also indicate that geothermal energy and solar
thermal energy are the sectors expected to be of most interest
to these companies. In the future, photovoltaic and geothermal
are expected to be the most active energy sectors.
With regard to the subsectors of economic activity within
which the companies operate, some fall into more than
one category. 33% of the companies participate in both
generation and distribution. Another 33% of the companies
operate across all subsectors: generation, distribution,
commercialization and transport. The sample shows that
the majority of the companies surveyed are involved in
generation (83%).
Graphic 4.3 – Subsectors of economic activity within which the companies operate.
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Companies are focused primarily:

on planning, project management, and marketing;

on education and training;

on mechanical engineering and plant construction;
and
on energy trading.
For the future, companies expressed plans to focus on
research and development.
Regarding renewable energy projects and activities within
the surveyed entities: 58% of the companies uses all three
methods of project development. One of the companies
in the survey assesses programs but does not develop them.
Another company functions as a consultancy.
Outsourcing,
own
development
and joint
The sample shows that more than half of the surveyed
development. companies have an average annual income greater than
€10,000,000, which puts them in the medium−to−large−
company category. Only twenty-five of the surveyed
companies have income from renewable energy greater than
€10,000,000.
The number of employees by company sampled is detailed
in Table 4.3 and Graphic 4.4.
Company name
Number of workers
Codelco
Colbún S.A
Collahuasi
CMPC Tissue Chile
More than 500
More than 500
More than 500
More than 500
continues...
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Company name
Number of workers
Deuman
Electronet
Endesa Eco
Gener
Ingendesa
Poch Ambiental
CDEC-Sing
Transelec S.A
CNE
Contac Ingenieros
Agrosuper
20–49
6–19
More than 500
More than 500
More than 500
250–499
20–49
250–499
50–249
50–249
50–249
Table 4.3 – Number of workers per company.
Graphic 4.4 – Total number of employees per organization.
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Whether measured by number of employees or income
greater than €10,000,000, the majority of the companies fall
in the medium-to-large category.
Given the size of the companies surveyed, they do not
have a very substantial number of employees dedicated
to renewable energy. The company average is from 20
to 49 employees. If we go further afield into the NonConventional Renewable Energy (NCRE) segment, these
companies have practically no specialized employees and
therefore have to turn to international experts for training
in the area. The perception among employers is that the
availability of RE employees is generally low, and some
respondents have estimated zero availability.
Graphic 4.5 – Number of available RE employees.
Additionally, 33% of the surveyed companies report having
other facets related to renewable energy in which their
employees are involved. These are:

training courses;

technology watch;

project assessment and impact;
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assessment of renewable energy process; and

sale on the electricity market.
Regarding the professional and educational backgrounds of
company employees hired to work in the renewable energy
field, 24% of the companies surveyed have technicians and
university graduates working in the RE field. In some cases
the company has employees with postgraduate degrees, or
who are engineers with experience in renewable energy.
8% of the respondents report that it is difficult to hire
experienced personnel in the NCRE field, since they barely
exist. As a result, they turn to international experts who
are brought into the company to train as many workers as
possible in the area, or they send a company representative
to be trained abroad.
In regard to which methods are used by companies to hire
personnel, straightaway recruiting and hiring are most
commonly used by the companies. This method has been
generally effective as companies feel they have been able to
locate good candidates for the jobs. One of the companies
in the survey does not specifically hire renewable energy
personnel, preferring to hire electrical engineers.
58% of the companies reported problems locating and
selecting qualified employees. 16% of the companies did
not respond to this question. In four cases the respondents
indicated that there are not enough candidates for the jobs
and that candidates lack the specialized technical skills
required. There are very few workers with deep knowledge
and sufficient experience when it comes to RE. The large
majority of those who do exist are trained abroad.
For a large majority of the sample (84%), the forecasted
hiring trend in the renewable energy field is both positive
and constant. This may be attributable to the growing
importance of renewable energy both in our country as well
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as abroad. We can see that the medium−term hiring trend
in the RE field is growing even more than for the short
term.
Regarding current training needs for organizations in the
renewable energy field, 50% of the companies currently
have training plans for their organization and employees.
The training opportunities provided by the companies are
as follows:
Graphic 4.6 – Training opportunities.

75% of the companies surveyed have future plans
to train or educate their employees in the new
skills required by the renewable energy field. The
remaining companies are not sure. Companies
indicated they will require training in the legal
and the standardization aspects in the field of
renewable energy. It can be observed that the vast
majority of those interviewed will require new
specialized skills and qualifications;
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92% of the surveyed companies say they require
new skills from their employees in the renewable
energy field. The catalysts for the required new
skills development in renewable energy are: process
innovations, modified legal framework conditions,
basic innovations, policies and government
incentives, and market needs. There are other areas
in which renewable energy skills are required, such
as new technologies, transmission systems and
legislative changes required in the area of RE;
75% of the companies indicate that universities
need to develop new courses and skills relating
to the renewable energy field. This gives strong
support for the need of universities to carry out
this function;
42% of the companies believe there is no need for a
new profession related to renewable energy though
there should be a postgraduate course available, in
addition to courses in the legal and environmental
aspects of the field;
the expected role of institutions of higher learning
in the area related to RE is mainly in training and
education and research and development;
types of services offered by institutions of higher
learning that are of interest to companies are
research and development and technology transfer;
and
92% of the companies surveyed indicate that there
is a gap between what the institutions of higher
learning are currently offering and the needs of the
market.
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In regard to the current positions of the respondents at the
University of Chile (Administration, Research or Teaching),
88% have a position at the University of Chile, which
entails both research and teaching. 24% of the sample are
involved with all three university functions, while only 13%
are employed in administration. Approximately 75% have
worked at the University of Chile for more than five years,
while 13% have worked there for one to three years, and the
remaining 13% for three to five years. 50% have teaching
responsibilities and also administrative duties.
Regarding type of degree, unit, institute or project degree
related to renewable energies at the University of Chile,
25% of the respondents hold a Master’s degree in renewable
energy. 50% have a Bachelor of Science in Energy
Engineering, and the remaining 25% hold a Certificate in
Environmental Economics.
As for segments of the value chain describing current
academic/professional participation in renewable energy,
100% of the interviewees are currently engaged in training
and education, while also being engaged in research and
development.
The majority of the respondents work in the photovoltaics
and windpower sectors, though it should be noted that
the universe of respondents included all of the renewable
energy sectors. 75% currently work in generation, 25%
work in transportation and 10% in distribution. 38% of the
interviewees are also involved in environmental economics
as well as exploration.
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Graphic 4.7 – Specific RE area you work in.
When asked about their interest in working in the renewable
energy sector, 88% of those interviewed demonstrated
interest. The main preference was found for solar thermal.
Windpower, geothermal, and photovoltaics were mentioned
as a secondary preference.
Graphic 4.8 – Types of energy.
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In regard to academic experience in renewable energy,
50% of the respondents are vastly experienced with
more than ten years of academic experience in the field.
Graphic 4.9 – Academic experience.
63% of the respondents have more than five years of
experience and 25% have less than five years of experience
in the renewable energy field.
Concerning experience in research design and management,
51% of the respondents have more than five years of
experience in research design and management.
When the respondents were asked if they were interested in
receiving training in renewable energy technologies, 75% of
them indicated interest and of those interested, 50% would
like to receive training in solar thermal energy and biomass.
Additionally, 50% of the respondents would be interested in
receiving training in curriculum development.
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Graphic 4.10 – Training in curriculum development.
38% of the respondents would like to be trained in programs
carried out in conjunction with international entities. In spite
of the distinguished careers of the academics interviewed, a
significant number of them (63%) would be interested in
receiving training in developing teaching modules, and 37%
are interested in receiving training in research management.
Graphic 4.11 – Areas of research management training.
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Concerning how they would describe the need for
improving their technical/professional knowledge and skills
in the teaching and education areas, 38% of the respondents
consider it important to improve both their technical/
professional knowledge and skills in the education and
teaching arenas.
Graphic 4.12 – Technical and professional knowledge.
On the other hand, 88% of the respondents consider that
acquiring renewable energy curriculum development skills
is either an important or a very important need, and 75%
of them indicated the very important need to improve the
infrastructure and research at the university. Additionally,
88% of the respondents consider that participation in
renewable energy-related events is either an important or a
very important need.
In regard to the need for more collaboration between the
University of Chile and the renewable energy industry as
a whole, fully 75% of the respondents deem the need for
collaboration to be a very important need, with the idea
being to solidify both the knowledge and research base.
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Graphic 4.13 – Collaboration between the University of Chile and the renewable
energy industry as a whole.
It is important to notice that 100% of the respondents
indicated that the focus on renewable energy needs to be
strengthened at the University of Chile, and that both
financing and greater regulation from the state are needed.
Concerning the most important measures for strengthening
the focus on renewable energy at the University of Chile:

75% of the respondents consider that there is a
need for academic programs dedicated to meeting
market requirements;
75% of the respondents indicate that participating
in exchange programs between the university and
the industry is an important need. The remaining
25% consider this to be a very important need;
75% of the respondents indicate that it is either
an important or very important need for the
University of Chile to participate in associations
with the renewable energy industry and markets in
order to share knowledge;
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63% of the respondents believe that it is very
important to participate in applied technology
research carried out within the University of Chile
and financed by the renewable energy industry and
market;
63% of the respondents believe that it is important
to participate in applied technology research
carried out within the University of Chile and
financed by governmental agencies;
50% of the sample considers that there is a real need
for more internship and hands-on opportunities
for students with renewable energy companies; and
38% of the respondents believe there is an important
need for ongoing analysis and occupational training
design as it relates to renewable energy due to
changing technology and economic variability.
Only 20% of respondents plan to engage in a renewable
energy research project with foreign investment within the
next twenty-four months, while 80% are not sure or do
not know if they will. Insofar as registered patents or new
developed technologies are concerned, 100% of the sample
do not know whether they will utilize these or not.
Regarding which kind of RE projects the university is
engaging in, 80% of the sample work with private and/or
public organizations in subject areas related to renewable
energy. From 2007 to the present, 60% of the respondents
indicated they have been using formal programs for
tutoring/training.
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On the other hand, 60% of the respondents do not know
whether there are interdisciplinary RE programs within
their institutions, and 40% of the sample do not know
whether there are renewable energy scholarships available.
The majority of those interviewed believe that their
organization had developed renewable energy policies and
strategies prior to 2007, while a fraction of the respondents
believe that these policies and strategies are planned for use
in the next twenty-four months.
Concerning the types of knowledge acquisition strategies
the universities regularly employ, 60% of those interviewed
have used renewable energy knowledge from external
market sources, such as companies and organizations, since
before 2007. 60% of the sample have been using renewable
energy knowledge obtained from other research institutions
since before 2007. Another 60% of the respondents use the
Internet to obtain external renewable energy knowledge.
Finally, 60% of the sample supports their personnel in
participating in team projects (or conferences) with external
experts.
80% of those surveyed indicate that they frequently use
formal tutoring/training programs, while the remaining
20% use them once in a while. 60% of those surveyed use
experienced personnel with different areas of expertise to
transfer their “know-how” to students and faculty members.
When it comes to investing in external knowledge on
renewable energy, 60% of the sample do so very rarely.
On the other hand, 60% of the sample frequently use
the Internet to obtain renewable energy knowledge from
external sources. 60% of those interviewed rarely use
renewable energy scholarships.
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Additionally, 80% of those interviewed work with a strategic
plan that guides the way they manage the entity they control,
while the remaining 20% have no strategic plan to follow.
40% of those who have a strategic plan indicate that it is
followed rigorously.
80% of those interviewed believe this survey covered all
the renewable energy practices and initiatives used by their
institutions and that there were no additional practices or
policies which were not mentioned. Additionally, 20% of the
sample note that they work with research committees, one
of which focuses specifically on energy. These committees
meet twice a year and then conduct workshops for the
community regarding new forms of energy, such as biomass,
windpower and solar power.
Regarding the sector of renewable energy field where
universities have research and/or teaching activities, 56% of
the interviewees teach in the area of wind energy and 44%
carry out research in this same area. As for biomass, 71% of
the sample teach and 29% do research in this area. 67% teach
in the hydraulic energy area, but only 33% carry out research
on the subject. In the area of geothermal energy, 50% of the
respondents teach and only 33% are doing research. 57%
of the sample teach about biofuels. It is worth noting that
in the area of solar thermal energy, 57% are carrying on
research, while only 43% are engaged in teaching. Finally,
57% of the interviewees have teaching activities related to
PV, and only 43% are active in that research area.
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Graphic 4.14 – Sector of RE field.
80% of the surveyed universities have specific courses/
programs in the area of renewable energy. These are as
follows:

degree in Energy and Sustainable Development,
which includes some aspects of RE; and
industrial Engineering with a focus on Energy and
the Environment.
100% of the sample said they did not have an exclusive area
specifically dedicated to renewable energy.
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Concerning the materials universities produce for research/
teaching in RE, 80% of the respondents produce their own
course handouts and materials. 60% of the sample produce
books for teaching about RE. 75% of the interviewees
use information gathered from conferences for both
researching and teaching. 25% produce ISI documentation
while 40% produce laboratory prototypes. In summary, the
most frequently used materials come from conferences and
handouts produced for the courses.
Finally, 60% of those interviewed have no budget to invest in
renewable energy. The 20% that do have a budget feel that the
amount available for renewable energy is low.
3 – Conclusions
Considering the country background described at the
beginning of this national report and the results of the
performed survey, some concluding remarks should be added
from these surveys:

the RE technologies with the highest development
potential are hydraulic, wind and geothermal. The
companies surveyed showed significant interest in
developing projects on their own or jointly;
the Chilean labour market currently has a scarcity
of potential employees with RE backgrounds, and
they still prefer to recruit university graduates.
Clearly for both short- and mid-term hiring, the
recruiting tendency shows a positive increase;
the labour market detects a need for more training
of its employees, focusing on in-house training
with external support where the main concern is
on changes related to the legal framework; and
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the companies expect the universities to contribute
in the areas of technological transfer, consulting
and advising, and research and development.
In regard to the university staff survey the following can be
concluded from the results obtained:

the great majority of people interviewed have five
or more years of experience in the university, where
the main interests are: thermal solar, geothermal,
wind and PV. They also demonstrate some
experience in curriculum design, but not much;
the university respondents showed interest in
receiving training in RE, especially focused on
geothermal, wind, hydraulic, PV and solar thermal
energy. They do not consider training in curriculum
design as relevant as doing pilot modules. The most
important issue mentioned regarding the direction
for research training is finding appropriate funding
sources;
the respondents considered it most important to:
improve technical/professional knowledge, keep
up to date with the technology changes, access an
RE database, attend conferences, workshops, etc.,
and establish internships with the RE industry;
and
the respondents considered it very important
to improve the research infrastructure and
cooperation between industry and university.
They also noted the need to develop research at the
university funded by industry or government.
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From results of the benchmark survey, the following points
should be observed:

the main activities that have been developed
by the universities are: undergraduate teaching,
networking, and joint development with external
institutions. Other universities develop these
activities through standard procedures (courses,
etc.), RE scholarships and cooperation with
government agencies;
the primary interest in the research field is solar
thermal technology, while for the teaching aspect
the focus is on hydraulic, biomass and wind
generation; and
other universities consider that there is a lack of
investment in RE, and where there is any funding
at all, it is perceived as very limited.
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Chapter 5 – Germany
1 – Renewable energy market in Germany
Structure of the energy market in Germany
The Federal Republic of Germany is a major country in
Central Northern Europe, with a surface area of 356,978 m2
and a population of approximately 82 million inhabitants.
More than 80% of its population lives in urban areas. The
country has a developed free-market economy which is
largely based on services and manufacturing. Its gross
domestic product of 2,423 billion euros (DESTATIS, 2008)
is one of the highest in the world and the country maintains
a positive trade balance.
Germany has few conventional primary energy resources
available. It has large deposits of coal, but its reserves of
petroleum and natural gas are relatively small, though
locally significant. As a consequence, the country has
to import energy to cover its own requirements. This
characteristic of the German energy market is a powerful
incentive for public and private organizations to invest
in research and technology for renewable energy (RE) in
order to increase their independence from energy imports.
As shown in Graphic 5.1, the domestic production of
energy from renewable energy sources has grown over
the past few years, whereas the production of energy from
conventional sources has remained stable.
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Graphic 5.1 – Primary energy production in Germany 2000–2007.
In 2007, 1006.1 pentajoules (equal to 7.2%) of the whole
primary energy consumption in Germany were provided
by renewable energy sources (AGEB, 2008).
Given that the energy market in Germany is liberalized,
energy is offered by many different private companies to
the end users, who can freely choose their energy supplier.
The German government oversees and regulates the market
and creates initiatives to promote sustainability and the
competitive application of renewable energy sources.
The Renewable Energy Sources Act (Erneuerbare Energien
Gesetz or EGG) is the key instrument for the promotion
of renewable energy. It came into force in 2000 and was
amended in 2004. The core elements of the EEG are:
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priority connection of installations for the
generation of electricity from renewable energy
and from mine gas to the general electricity supply
grids;
priority purchase and transmission of this
electricity; and
nationwide equalization of electricity purchased
and the corresponding fees paid.
The fee paid for electricity depends on the energy source
and the size of the installations. The rate also depends on
the date of commissioning; the later an installation begins
operation, the lower the tariff (degression). The EEG ensures
the increased use of environmentally friendly renewable
energy, not through subsidies but through apportioning the
costs (BMU 2004).
Supply and demand in the renewable energy market in
Germany develops in a well-balanced way and private
companies are encouraged to remain competitive both in
price and services. Graphic 5.2 shows the contribution of each
renewable energy source to the total amount of renewable
energy sources consumed in the country in 2007.
Graphic 5.2 – Renewable energy sources in Germany by source in 2007.
Source: AGEB, 2008.
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As can be observed from Graphic 5.2, the largest amount
of renewable energy in Germany is produced from biomass
(solid and liquid forms as well as biogas), followed by
wind energy and renewable energy obtained from the coincineration of waste.
Labour market in renewable energy: opportunities for
Higher Education Institutions
As a consequence of the increasing demand and rising
production of RE, skilled workers specialized in the area
are required. According to information from the German
Ministry for the Environment, jobs attributed to renewable
energy-related sectors in Germany increased between
2004 and 2006 from approximately 160,000 to a total of
approximately 235,600: an increase of nearly 48% in that
period (KRATZAT ET AL, 2007). From 2006 to 2007
the increase is less impressive, but still positive: 13,700
new jobs were created in that period (Kratzat et al., 2008).
Experts forecast a total number of jobs in the RE industry
of 400,000 by 2020 (KRATZAT ET AL, 2007).
The majority of the jobs in the RE industry exist in the
biomass (38.5%) and wind sector (33.8%), followed by
the photovoltaic sector (15.5%) (KRATZAT ET AL,
2008). All jobs directly related to the RE sector as well
as corresponding supply and service sectors and research
activities are included in these calculations.
A study carried out by HAW Hamburg in 2006/2007
has shown that the demand for skilled workers in RE is
not being fully met and that there is a lack of specialized
professionals in the renewable energy industry. 76.7%
of the companies questioned rated the availability of
RE-specialized professionals as scarcely available or
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insufficiently available. According to the companies
surveyed, the primary difficulties encountered in searching
for appropriately skilled workers in the RE industry are the
lack of an interdisciplinary education of the candidates and
of the desired technical skills (HAW 2007).
Some companies (usually the largest ones) compensate the
lack of their employees’ expertise by offering them internal
training sessions to keep them updated or by sending them
to external complementary training sessions to acquire the
required knowledge or skills. Other companies, by contrast,
often lack sufficient resources to provide their workers with
the required training and have to rely on governmental
support to get access to advanced knowledge in the area of
RE (HAW 2007).
In Germany, several HEIs have recognized this lack of
skilled workers as a chance to complement their existing
study programs or to create new degree programs in order
to respond to the increasing demand for expert professionals
in the field. In this way, the HEIs make their graduates more
attractive for the employers and more competitive in the
labour market.
Nowadays, the range of courses and specialization levels is
very broad and covers complementing lectures in traditional
study programs right down to totally new degree programs
dedicated to the study of one or several renewable energy
sources as well as the whole supply and service sectors
around it.
Degrees offered in Germany in the field of RE include
Bachelor and Master of Science degrees as well as Bachelor
and Master of Engineering degrees. The study courses are
mainly taught in German, but the number of programs
taught in English is continually increasing.
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Research and teaching of renewable energy at HAW
The Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg)
The Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW
Hamburg), with approximately 12,000 students, has
become the second largest institution of higher education
in the Hamburg region and one of the largest of its kind in
Germany. The diversity of degrees on offer includes:

Engineering & Computer Science;

Life Sciences;

Design;

Media & Information;

and Business & Social Sciences in a total of four
faculties.
HAW Hamburg offers undergraduate and postgraduate
degree programs leading to the academic qualifications
‘Bachelor’ and ‘Master’.
HAW Hamburg focuses on applied research and has close
ties with institutes and industry. One of its main areas of
interest lies in the research of renewable energy. In 2008,
the Competence Centre for Renewable Energy & Energy
Efficiency (CC4E) was created to link departments with
energy-related degree programs and research fields and to
encourage synergy within the university.
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The Competence Centre for Renewable Energy & Energy
Efficiency (CC4E)
The CC4E concentrates all the capacities of HAW in the
area of renewable energy, coordinates their activities and
facilitates cooperation work between HAW and private
companies. Furthermore, the CC4E organizes events for
renewable energy, creates information material and transfers
knowledge acquired from research and development projects
at the university.
The degree programs at the HAW in the field of renewable
energy sources are taught in different departments of the
HAW. The following degrees are already being offered or are
under development at the HAW:

Information & Electrical Engineering, specializing
in power engineering (Bachelor);

Environmental Engineering (Bachelor);

Energy & Plant Engineering (Bachelor);

Process Engineering (Bachelor);

Renewable Energy Management
program under development);
(Bachelor,
Renewable Energy Systems - Environmental and
Process Engineering (Master’s, starting in winter
2009);
Innovative Energy Systems (Master’s); and
Renewable Energy Management
program under development).
(Master’s,
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At the same time, more than twenty formal research projects
and numerous student projects are carried out by HAW
academic staff and their students. These projects are all
application-oriented and are carried out in close cooperation
with private companies concerning the topics of biomass,
solar and wind energy, fuel cells, energy efficiency and other
related topics including economic and business solutions.
2 – The JELARE surveys in Germany
Methodology
The survey carried out in Germany by HAW Hamburg
cannot be considered as a representative survey for the
whole country. Due to the large number of companies in
the RE market, RE staff at universities and universities
engaged in RE topics, it was not possible to contact them
all or to carry out an extensive survey within the framework
of the JELARE project.
In addition to the general methodology described in
Chapter 1, the following specific methodology was applied
to the different surveys in Germany.
Market survey
As part of past activities of HAW, all RE companies in the
Hamburg metropolitan area were contacted in the recent
past to answer questions regarding renewable energy topics.
For this reason, HAW was not able to contact all companies
directly again. The procedure for the survey was therefore
as follows: during an event related to wind energy held at
HAW, the participating companies were asked at the end
of the event to manually fill in the questionnaire. A total of
twelve companies agreed to fill in the questionnaire. Later
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on, the information compiled was manually fed into an
Excel spreadsheet by HAW staff in order to analyse and
evaluate the results.
Staff survey
For the purpose of the participants’ selection, nearly fifty
HAW staff members working in RE or in related fields
were contacted. Twenty-five of them showed interest and
willingness to cooperate with the JELARE project and
filled in an online questionnaire.
The results of the questionnaire were saved automatically in
an Excel spreadsheet in order to analyse the information.
Technical problems arose with one set of questions which
made it necessary to contact the survey participants later
on via email to ask them these questions directly. The
information compiled was manually fed into the spreadsheet
and thus the survey results were evaluated.
Benchmark survey
For the benchmark survey, the HAW contacted different
institutions of higher education with which the HAW
has cooperated in past projects. These institutions received
information about the JELARE project in order to get them
interested and to invite them to take part in the survey. Of
these HEIs, five showed interest and willingness to cooperate
with the JELARE project. Four of them filled in an online
questionnaire. The results of the online questionnaire were
saved automatically in an Excel spreadsheet in order to analyse
the information. One additional university filled in a Word
template with the same questions as the online questionnaire.
The answers from this university were manually fed into the
Excel spreadsheet and the survey results were updated with
this information.
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Generalities of the organizations and their RE staff requirements
The total number of participants in the market survey
was twelve. These were mostly private companies. Several
governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations
were also included. About 60% of the participants were
active in the energy industry including renewable energy
production and conventional energy production. The rest of
the participants were from the manufacturing sector or were
active in the communications or transportation sector.
The majority of the participants were active in the windpower
sector (80%), followed by participants active in the biogas or
biomass sector (50% and 40% respectively) and by participants
active in the photovoltaic sector (40%). Multiple answers were
possible; therefore the participant companies or organizations
may be active in one or more sectors at the same time. Activities
in other RE sectors were less intensive, especially in the case
of geothermal energy (only 10%). Furthermore, most of the
participants were involved in planning/project management
or in service and maintenance of installations. Graphic 5.3
shows how the participant organizations develop renewable
energy activities or projects in their sectors (multiple choice
was possible).
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Graphic 5.3 – Project development strategies in the organizations.
10/10/26 14:25
As Graphic 5.3 shows, a large part of the project work is
done internally at the organizations and almost half of the
organizations take advantage of joint development projects.
In order to carry out their projects, the organizations require
RE staff work in many different areas. When asked how
they rate the availability of qualified RE staff on the labour
market, 90% of participants considered skilled professionals
as scarcely or even insufficiently available on the market.
When asked about the functional areas in which the RE
staff work, the following options are observed among the
survey participants:
Functional area
Miscellaneous activities
(consulting, directives / politics,
project development, supply of
services)
Management
Administration
Research and development
Percentage of RE professionals
working in this area at organization
64%
36%
27%
27%
Table 5.1 – Main work areas for RE professionals in organizations.
Furthermore, the participants mentioned that the majority
of their RE staff have a university degree (47.4%) or
business qualifications (21.1%), and they are mostly
recruited directly by the organization itself. According to the
companies surveyed, the primary difficulties while looking
for appropriately skilled workers in the RE industry are the
lack of an interdisciplinary education of the candidates as
well as a lack of the desired technical skills. The scarcity of
appropriate candidates for RE jobs was also an obstacle in
order to find the desired personnel.
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Training and qualification requirements in the RE market
for RE staff
To cover their increasing requirements of RE specialists,
the organizations can also train their current staff instead
of recruiting new employees. When asked which RE
training opportunities were planned for their employees,
the organizations mentioned the following options (listed
according to popularity among participants):

external training at further education and research
institutions (29.6%);

in-house training with external support (25.9%); and

coaching and learning on the job (22.2%).
From the market’s point of view it was also determined
that the most important training requirements in the future
will be new specialized technical qualifications followed
by the enhancement of existing basic qualifications and
multidisciplinary qualifications. Figure 5.1 shows the drivers
for the required new qualifications in the field of renewable
energy and their relevance according to the organizations
surveyed (multiple answers were possible).
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Figure 5.1 – Drivers for new qualifications in RE.
10/10/26 14:25
As Figure 5.1 shows, the most important driver for acquiring
new RE qualifications is ‘process innovation’ followed by
‘product innovation’ and ‘changes in the legal framework’
according to the organizations surveyed.
Role of Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) in the qualification
requirements of organizations and the market needs
In general, the role of the HEIs in the RE market is perceived
as highly important by the market, however only 50% of
the organizations questioned considered that HEIs are up
to date with the market needs, whereas the remaining 50%
considered the HEIs to be behind the market needs.
More than 80% of the organizations considered that the
HEIs should develop new courses and qualifications in
the RE field. Of the organizations supporting the creation
of new courses and qualifications at the HEIs, 63% agree
that qualifications additional to those obtained in an
initial vocational education (upgrade training) should be
developed and 27% think that new degrees or professions
should be developed. Furthermore, the survey participants
strongly expect HEIs to provide training and education
programs as well as basic research and development
activities. The participants did not expect much from HEIs
in terms of basic innovations regarding information and
communications technologies, new measuring techniques,
etc., or in product innovations.
Besides providing new professionals or upgrade training,
there are several ways in which HEIs can support the
industry and related organizations in the renewable energy
market. When asked what types of services offered at
HEIs they would be interested in using, the organizations
expressed interest in many different services. Graphic 5.4
shows the different services and the participant’s level of
interest in each one of them.
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Graphic 5.4 – Interest in services offered by HEIs.
As seen in Graphic 5.4, almost half of all participants
were interested in using HEIs as consulting partners when
advice is needed. Technology transfer services are an equally
interesting option for participants. As the responses to this
question show, there is a tendency and interest in using HEIs
increasingly as an independent service provider rather than as
a mere information provider.
Finally, participants suggested several topics as major
challenges for the wider application of RE in Germany.
Among those challenges, public opinion and acceptance
towards RE in combination with the ‘not-in-my-backyard’
effect were considered a major challenge. Other major
challenges mentioned are the licensing and authorization
procedures for generating renewable energy sources.
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Profile of interviewed staff
The participants of the staff survey were a sound mix of
university professors and research associates as well as
technical and administrative staff. Student workers were
included in the survey as a minority. A total of twentyfive staff members took part in the survey. The participants
were involved in research and development activities (48%),
education and training activities (36%) and in project
planning and management activities (24%).
The survey results indicate that the participants are involved
or interested in all types of renewable energy. Graphic 5.5
shows the ranking of RE technologies according to the
interest shown by the survey participants.
Graphic 5.5 – Interest of staff members in RE technologies (by technology type).
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Other types of renewable energy of interest mentioned are:

organic Rankine cycle processes to collect residual
heat by means of organic high molecular mass
fluids and convert this heat into work;

waste-heat recovery;

and waste-to-energy processes.
The topics of energy efficiency and energy management
were also mentioned as a field of interest.
Training interests and requirements of RE staff
In order to continue with their activities in the area of
renewable energy or in order to enter new expertise areas,
the majority of the survey participants showed an interest in
obtaining further training. Graphic 5.6 shows the different
topics of interest for further training according to the staff ’s
preference.
Graphic 5.6 – Interest of staff members in training (by topic).
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Regarding training in RE technologies, the interest of staff
was not only for specifically one type of technology but was
fairly well distributed among the different technology types.
Nevertheless, a clear preference for photovoltaic technology
was identified, whereas the interest by participants in
hydrogen or fuel cells technology was definitively smaller.
Interesting additional topics for training in
technologies mentioned by staff participants

socio-political framework;

waste-to-energy technologies; and

RE
are:
connection possibilities for renewable energy
sources to the existing electricity grid.
Furthermore, staff members who are interested in receiving
training in curriculum development have a clear preference
for getting trained in curriculum development for Master’s
programs. None of the participants showed any interest
in training for development of licentiate degrees known
in Germany as Diplom degrees, or in the development of
technical degrees. Training for the development of teaching
modules was not of interest for the majority of the survey
participants. However, for those where teaching modules
were of interest, the following non-technical areas of interest
are attractive topics:

project-orientated tutorials;
improvement in social conditions for renewable
energy; and
economic aspects, especially project financing.
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In general, the majority of participants considered the need
to update technical/vocational knowledge and skills in their
areas of teaching and research as a definite or major need,
however not as a very important need. The same applies for
the need to be updated with major technological change.
In comparison, the majority of the staff surveyed considered
their need to learn skills in curriculum development as
nonexistent or only as a minor need. This was expected,
because in previous questions, the participants showed little
interest in the topic.
In contrast, when asked how important a better research
infrastructure such as laboratories and equipment was,
the majority of the participants considered it at least as a
definite need, a major need or even as a very important need.
Furthermore, their need for access to a scientific database in
renewable energy was also considered as highly important
by the majority of participants, who considered their need
for such a database as definite, major or very important.
Again, these are not unexpected results, given that 45%
of the participants are involved in research and 50% are
engaged in teaching.
Similar results are obtained for questions regarding the
need to participate in networking events and the need to
collaborate with industry. Both needs were regarded by
the majority of participants as important, and the need to
collaborate with industry was in particular ranked as very
important or as a major need by 64% of the participants.
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Strength of renewable energy topics at HEIs
When asked if the topic of renewable energy needs to
be strengthened at their HEIs, an emphatic ‘Yes’ was the
answer. Although all proposed measures to strengthen
the topic of RE at HEIs were mostly perceived as an
important need, the priorities of such measures were
perceived differently. Table 5.2 shows the prioritization
of options according to the survey participants.
Percentage received by participants for each option and need level
Options
No need
Minor
need
Definite
need
Major
need
Very important
need
A – Academic
programs devoted to
market needs.
4.76%
14.29%
47.62%
23.81%
9.52%
B – Exchange
programs between
HEIs and RE market.
9.52%
4.76%
28.57%
42.86%
14.29%
C – HEI’s partnership
with RE market.
4.76%
4.76%
33.33%
38.10%
19.05%
D – Applied
technological
researches funded
by the market.
0.00%
0.00%
14.29%
52.38%
33.33%
E – Applied
technological
researches funded
by government.
0.00%
0.00%
14.29%
38.10%
47.62%
continues...
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Percentage received by participants for each option and need level
No need
Minor
need
Definite
need
Major
need
Very important
need
F – Internships
for students in RE
companies.
0.00%
5.00%
50.00%
35.00%
10.00%
G – Constant
analysis and design
of occupational
plans in RE.
0.00%
23.81%
42.86%
28.57%
4.76%
Options
Table 5.2 – Priorities according to staff for strengthening RE topics at HEIs.
It can be concluded from Table 5.2 that, according to the
staff, the following measures are the most important to
strengthen the topic of renewable energy in their institutions
(the list is ranked by importance):

applied technological research in RE conducted
within the HEIs and funded by the RE industry
or by government agencies;
exchange programs between the HEIs and the RE
industry as well as HEIs’ partnership with the RE
industry in order to share knowledge; and
more internships for students in RE companies.
The rest of the options are also considered important.
However, they are seen more as a definite need with less
priority.
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2.3 – Benchmark Survey Results
Engagement in renewable energy topics at HEIs
A total of five German HEIs took part in this survey. Among
the participant HEIs there were traditional universities and
universities of applied sciences. Graphic 5.7 provides a very
good overview of the universities’ profile in RE topics and
an insight into how strongly the topic of renewable energy is
handled in the participant HEIs. It can be observed that almost
all universities were already researching renewable energy with
the support of foreign investment before 2007 and also a large
proportion of the participants had partnerships with national
and international networks for research on renewable energy
before 2007.
Furthermore, the majority of universities currently have
research laboratories financed by organizations from the
production sector although half of these universities received
this financial support as recently as 2007.
Another interesting fact is that the collaborative work at the
universities by physically separated project teams (‘virtual
teams’) was not very popular before 2007, but its popularity
has increased largely over the past few years.
Graphic 5.7 – Profile of HEIs regarding renewable energy.
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There are several similarities between all the universities
surveyed. In addition to the RE profile of the HEIs, the
survey results showed that all of the participants now
have strategies at their institutions for renewable energy
topics and they work in collaboration with public and/or
private organizations on RE topics (80% of the HEIs had
collaboration work with public and/or private organizations
even before 2007). Moreover, all of the HEIs use information
technology (Internet) to gain external knowledge about RE.
Regarding scholarships for students in the RE field, only
40% of the universities surveyed offer such possibilities for
students to finance their courses and also 40% of the HEIs
use external training to keep in touch with technological
change in RE. A further 20% plan to start this practice in
the next two years.
Common practices or initiatives in renewable energy are the
use of knowledge about RE obtained through other market
sources such as enterprises and organizations and the use
of knowledge about RE obtained from research institutions
(80% of HEIs). Further actions taken by the universities in
the RE field include the realization of informative sessions
for different target groups, such as private households and
the organization of an annual symposium focusing on one
type of renewable energy.
Few universities plan to start with new practices or
initiatives different to those already mentioned in the next
two years. The most important innovation in the pipeline is
the use of interdisciplinary programs on renewable energy
at institutions (20% of HEIs plan to start this practice in
the next two years).
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Teaching and research of RE topics at universities
The RE field where the most teaching is carried out is in
wind energy topics; however, it is also the wind energy
field where less research is undertaken. In contrast, biomass
has the most research being conducted among all the RE
technologies without having as much teaching activity.
Research activities are strong for all bioenergy types and
in geothermal energy. Teaching activities are most frequent
in wind energy, photovoltaic and solar thermal energy,
followed by hydropower and hydrogen/fuel cells. Graphic
5.8 shows the research/teaching ratio for each type of
renewable energy.
Graphic 5.8 – Research/teaching ratio for renewable energy topics.
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The results shown in Graphic 5.8 may not be conclusive.
Given that the majority of HEIs could only choose between
teaching or researching in the online survey, it could well
be that both activities are also carried out in parallel.
Nevertheless, the survey results show a good approximation
of the tendency.
There are a large number of degree courses in RE fields at
HEIs. Most of the universities have at least one degree course
including RE topics on offer. Half of the programs at the
universities consist of Master’s degrees (Master of Engineering
or Master of Science) and slightly less than half are Bachelor
degrees (Bachelor of Engineering or Bachelor of Science).
However, only 12.5% of the degree courses on offer are
exclusively dedicated to the study of RE topics. Furthermore,
all universities have specific departments or institutes for RE
topics, but only one third of these departments are dedicated
to RE and only 40% of the HEIs have a dedicated budget for
investment in the renewable energy area.
Finally, as Table 5.3 shows, the survey results made evident
that the universities questioned are very active in elaborating
teaching products and issuing publications in renewable
energy topics. Teaching materials as well as materials from
conferences are the most popular and most extensively used
type of products at the universities interviewed.
Teaching/research product
Lecture notes, teaching materials
Materials from related conferences
Articles/papers in scientific journals
Books
Laboratory prototypes
% of HEIs creating this
product
100.00%
100.00%
80.00%
60.00%
60.00%
Table 5.3 – Type of products at universities.
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3 – Conclusions
Market survey
The German market is highly concentrated in the wind,
biomass and solar/photovoltaic sectors and it is common
practice among public or private organizations to be active
in more than one specific RE sector. According to the survey
results, geothermal energy has the smallest share of the
market among all RE technologies. A large part of the RE
project work is done internally at the organizations with an
important part of the work carried out in joint development
projects at the same time.
In Germany, the demand for RE personnel is larger than
supply: the market faces scarcity of RE skilled personnel and
RE professionals. According to the companies which took
part in the survey, the greatest difficulties encountered while
looking for appropriately skilled workers in the RE industry
are the lack of an interdisciplinary education among the
candidates as well as a lack of the desired technical skills.
The scarcity of appropriate candidates for RE jobs will
increase if no measures are undertaken, as the market needs
and requirements of RE professionals will increase over the
years to come. Furthermore, it was suggested by the survey
participants that public opinion and acceptance towards
RE in combination with the ‘not-in-my-backyard’ are also
major challenges to overcome in the RE sector.
In order to cope with their requirements of RE professionals,
the companies plan to train their current staff. Some of them
will train their employees internally or externally and they
will also apply learning on the job as a training measure. As
the companies expressed it, the most important drivers for
acquiring new RE qualifications in Germany are: ‘process
innovation’, ‘product innovation’ and ‘changes in the legal
framework’. In other words, the same elements that drive
most of the technology markets also drive the RE market.
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The role of HEIs in the RE market is perceived as highly
important; however, the companies consider that the
universities are commonly behind the market needs. The
companies would expect the HEIs to develop new education
and training programs in RE topics parallel to increased
basic research and development activities. Furthermore, the
market is interested in using HEIs as consulting partners
when advice is needed.
Staff survey
Renewable energy generated from all types of biomass is
the topic of most interest among staff members of HAW
Hamburg. This is followed by windpower and energy
generated by sunlight (photovoltaic and solar thermal).
However, there is a general interest in all types of renewable
energy and staff members usually carry out activities in
several different fields of RE at the same time without
exclusivity for a special type of energy (similar to the market
case). The RE topics at HAW Hamburg being researched or
handled by staff go beyond the ‘traditional’ renewable energy
and have already moved in more innovative directions as
the RE market grows. Furthermore, HAW staff are mostly
interested in receiving further training in the field of RE
technologies and in research management rather than
training in curriculum development or development of
teaching modules.
It is interesting to observe that in Hamburg not only are
technology-related topics of interest, economic and social
topics are also attractive and considered necessary in order
to overcome the barriers to RE acceptance among the
different stakeholders and increase the competitiveness
of RE in the market. This may explain why the survey
participants do not perceive updating knowledge in their
expertise and work areas as a very important need but only
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as a definitive or major need. On the one hand, it may be
argued that in Germany, RE staff have continuous access
to updates or news regarding RE, therefore the update of
knowledge is continuously carried out without being an
isolated event. On the other, as staff members primarily
think that a better research infrastructure and access to
scientific databases is highly important, it may be that the
staff members also prefer to generate innovations on their
own, instead of merely receiving information from external
sources.
The priorities of the scientific and administrative staff taking
part in this survey regarding their requirements in terms
of training and qualification for RE are similar and this is
definitely to be recognized as a present and future success
factor for the universities in the area of RE. However,
the survey results do not provide information about the
motivation of each group.
According to the staff, it is necessary to strengthen RE
topics at the universities and the most important measures
to be taken are the implementation of applied technological
research in RE conducted within the HEIs and funded by
the RE market or by government agencies.
Benchmark survey
Institutions of higher education that have participated in the
German benchmark survey are very active in the RE field
at a national and international level. The majority of these
universities have made provisions regarding aspects related
to renewable energy, and a large proportion of them have
forged partnerships with national and international networks
for research on renewable energy before or since 2007.
Furthermore, the majority of universities also have funding
from the production sector for their research activities.
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The participant HEIs are also very good at using knowledge
obtained from external sources and not only at developing
new knowledge on their own. It can be observed that these
universities recognize the synergy principle as the most
effective way to work.
Nevertheless, although already very active in R&D and
knowledge transfer, it seems that few universities plan to
start new practices or initiatives different to the current ones
in the next two years. Apparently the HEIs do not plan to
change their strategy for RE in the next two years. As they
already have many ongoing practices and initiatives, this does
not mean that their progress will stagnate in the RE field.
However, it may be that the speed at which they generate
innovations could decrease in a couple of years.
Regarding the teaching of RE at universities, the HEIs
have demonstrated high activity, as most of the universities
have at least one degree which includes an RE topic, and all
universities have specific departments or institutes for RE
topics. The survey results indicate that teaching activities in
wind energy and in solar/photovoltaic energy are the most
intensive and that geothermal energy has the least intensive
teaching activity. In regard to research activities, the most
intensive research is being undertaken in the bioenergy
sector (biomass, biogas, biofuels) and in geothermal energy
topics. However, these results may not be conclusive. Given
that the majority of the HEIs could only choose either
teaching or researching in the survey, it could well be that
both activities are also carried out in parallel. In any case, the
survey results show a good approximation of the tendency.
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Overall conclusions
According to the survey results, the renewable energies with
highest potential to develop in the coming years are in the
wind, biomass and solar/photovoltaic sectors, as both the
market surveyed and staff involved have shown interest in
continuing with the research and production activities.
In the three different surveys, the participants were asked
about their qualification and training needs. The abovementioned conclusions for each survey revealed important
information regarding the preferences and needs of the
different stakeholders. However, the results of the market
survey gave more than this information as an output: it
showed that not only should training requirements be
studied, but also research should be done focusing who will
receive this training (potential skilled staff ) and by which
means this training will be provided (by means of the
HEIs), because in their opinion, skilled RE staff are scarce
on the market nowadays.
In order to overcome these challenges, the role of the
universities is highly important. To generate enough
skilled professionals, the HEIs should expand their
current study and training courses and obtain enough
students for their programs. Furthermore, the role of the
university as a knowledge provider should be enhanced
and the information should flow not only from the HEIs
to the market, but also to society if better acceptance is to
be achieved.
However, the priorities and interests of the staff and HEIs
point in a different direction. Their interest is geared more
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towards knowledge generation and transfer to the market
and not towards development of new study programs.
Therefore, more intensive dialogue between the market
and the HEIs must be promoted, so the priorities of all
stakeholders are lined up and a more common course of
action is taken.
Finally, it is worth highlighting that the market sees
universities not only as a provider of skilled staff, but also
a potential partner for applied technology problems. This
opportunity should not be underestimated.
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Chapter 6 – Guatemala
1 – Renewable energy market in Guatemala
The electric subsector has been involved in a changing
process ever since the General Law of Electricity
(MEM, 1996) was passed. Nowadays, it evolves within
a decentralization framework along energy generation,
transport, commercialization and distribution activities,
where their simultaneous development is carried out through
different legal entities or companies. This context allows
companies, in theory, to work in an environment of total
freedom, competition and no privileges, with a clearly-defined
regulatory framework in which the access of all agents to the
open market is fundamental. Based on the General Law of
Electricity (MEM, 1996), the development model of the
electric subsector is supported by three public institutions
that have specific functions regarding commercial facilitation,
regulation and coordination of the subsector companies’
activities (MEM, 2007):

Ministerio de Energía y Minas, (MEM,
Ministry of Energy and Mines): this public body
is the maximum authority of the electric subsector;
it is in charge of granting authorizations for
generating, transporting and distributing electric
energy;
Comité Nacional de Energía Eléctrica, (CNEE,
National Committee of Electric Energy): the
CNEE is a technical body of the Ministry of
Energy and Mines with functional independence,
in charge of formulating, implementing and
controlling the electricity regulatory framework;
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Administración del Mercado Mayorista, (AMM,
Wholesale Market Manager): the wholesale market
consists of electricity generators, carriers, distributors,
commercial traders, importers, exporters and Large
Scale Users. It is managed by an administrating body
which is independent from CNEE. It has the legal
form of a private corporation, established as a nonprofit organization and it is in charge of the sales of
potency and energy in block that would be carried out
in the short and long term between market agents;
and
Wholesale Market Agents: there are market
agents in the electricity wholesale market, which
are generating, traders, carriers and distribution
companies.
Electricity generation develops in both a free and competitive
environment, constituted by an opportunity market based in
short-term marginal-cost service, and by a contract market
where Agents and Large Scale Users freely negotiate contract
terms, quantities and prices. Transmission and distribution
are regulated activities. However, in those sectors in which
economies of scale can induce natural monopolies, the prices
are fixed by the regulatory entity, based on efficiency criteria.
Nevertheless, thanks to eight pieces of legislation enacted in
the last twelve years, the Guatemalan electric market system
has evolved from a state-controlled centralized system to an
open wholesale market system. 85% of the population has
access to their benefits at present (MEM, 2008).
The main renewable energy market indicators in Guatemala
within the wider energy sector can be seen in Figure 6.1.
The national production in 2007 was 7,936.74 GWh, with
a 6.6% growth compared to 2006. In 2007 the production
was as follows (National Association of Generators, 2007):
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private participation was 70% and public sector
participation 30% for the whole energy sector;
renewable energy stations’ production was 50.2%,
while hydrocarbon-based plants generated 49.8%; El Instituto Nacional de Electrificación, (INDE,
The National Institute of Electrification) is the
state electric company that participates in the
national and regional electric energy market,
competitively and self-financed, bringing this
service to the poorest strata. It has remained as
the main individual generating system with a
generation of 2,238 GWh (99.9% hydroelectric
generation and 0.1% thermal generation);
private generators contributed 5,555.74 GWh
(66.4% thermal-electric generation, 16.7%
cogeneration, 12.8% hydroelectric generation and
4.1% geothermal generation); and
exports increased compared to the year before,
exporting 131.9 GWh, which represents
an increase of 49.5%.
Figure 6.1 – Electricity generation by source: derived hydrocarbon vs RE.
Source: National Association of Generators, Electric Sector of Guatemala, Guatemala, May
10, 2009. Based on data from the Wholesale Market Manager, www.angguate.org.
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Guatemala has both the energetic potential as well as the
legal framework that will allow the development of largescale electric projects. The energy sector is one of the most
dynamic and open sectors in Central America. It has a great
deal of renewable natural resources with great potential as
can be seen in Table 6.1.
Source
Hydroelectric
Geothermal
Wind
Biomass
Potential
MW
Used
MW
Used
Percentage
5,000
1,000
7,800
N/C
650.3
26.5
0.1
187.8
13.01
2.65
0
N/C
Table 6.1 – Summary of renewable resources potential in Guatemala.
Source: Ministry of Energy and Mines, Renewable Energies in Guatemala, Guatemala.
February 2007.
Apart from 10 year legislative income tax and customs
exemptions to expand the renewable energy, RE and energy
sector, there is a set of principles in place that orient the
objectives of the renewable energy policy sponsored by the
public sector. The principles include:

achieving economic development and social
welfare in an environmentally friendly way;

resource replacement must be faster than its use;

safety and diversification of supply;

energy products should have competitive prices
and quality;
energy efficiency;
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high percentage of renewable energies participation
in the energy supply;
high percentage of homes electrified at optimal
cost;

relatively sustainable management of wood; and

climate change mitigation.
The listed courses of action should make an impact in the
present sources that generate energy. On the other hand,
it takes care of environmental concerns about the limits of
growth and sustainability (Meadows et al., 1970).
Research and teaching of RE at the Galileo University in
Guatemala
In 2009, the Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo at
the Galileo University (IID, Institute of Research and
Development), among other tasks, presented a project
that was approved by the Central American Alliance, an
international non-governmental organization. This study
aims to generate biodiesel from the micro-seaweeds that
pollute the Amatitlán Lake, located just half an hour from
Guatemala City.
There are three academic degrees in renewable energies:

Master’s Degree in Renewable Energies (2007);
Master’s Degree in Energetic Efficiency (2008);
and
five-year Bachelor’s Degree in Energetic Systems
Engineering.
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Since the inception of these programs, an emphasis has been
placed on the collaboration between university programs
and business firms. In addition to the collaboration of
professionals from this sector in the classroom, students visit
and study processes in many of these companies through
internship programs. Students are oriented to specific
needs of companies in the public and private sector through
internships that are related to the university. The graduation
requirement is a thesis that might include these experiences.
The JELARE technical team also visited university
departments that were involved in RE, which included:
Universidad San Carlos, Universidad del Valle and
Universidad Rafael Landívar. With the exception of
Universidad San Carlos, which began its Master’s Degree in
Energy and Environment in its Department of Engineering
in 2006, the universities offered few courses on the subject.
Moreover, RE research activities in these universities were
found to be either absent or concerned mainly with some
biofuel development, but without the needed large-scale
support and investment, though Universidad San Carlos
and del Valle had concrete limited low-budget projects
underway. In this regard, Galileo University’s leadership in
RE curriculum development, as shown by their academic
degrees described above, must be acknowledged.
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2 – The JELARE surveys in Guatemala
Methodology
Populations and data recollection instruments’ definitions
It was established that the study should target, through
an applied questionnaire, three specific populations. This
decision was made by the JELARE Project’s Steering Group
in Hamburg at its first meeting at the end of February 2009.
The selected populations include:

public and private companies and organizations in
general with high incidence in the RE market;
teaching and administrative staff in the RE courses
and degrees at the Universidad Galileo; and
departments, institutes or academic units in
different universities that currently have, in one
way or another, initiatives in the renewable energy
field.
Furthermore, each questionnaire contained specific variables
relevant to each population. In addition, a focus group was
made to complement the structured questionnaire. This
methodology tried to get the qualitative aspects and ideas
that went beyond the questions in the questionnaire, but
that complemented it.
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Sample design for market participants
The case selection was based on a list belonging to the Ministry
of Energy and Mines and enriched by key informants. Total
cases in the list reached 123 companies and organizations,
considered market participants. The relevant decisions were
the following:

it was agreed to apply the questionnaire to 50 of
these companies to make up the cases selected in
the sample and obtain information from them. This
number is equivalent to 41% of the cases mentioned
in the original list. In the end, our technical
team was able to obtain data from 51 cases. An
examination of key variables, such as number of
employees and annual turnover, of the completed
questionnaires, confirmed that the sample selected
was a cross-section of organizations and companies
in Guatemala. This fact makes us claim that our
sample was highly representative of the universe
of RE industries and organizations in Guatemala;
three judges were asked to rate between 0 and
3 which of these 123 companies were the most
relevant and important to be polled;
a selection was made from the list of those 51
companies and organizations that attained the
highest scores;
in case any of the companies could not be reached,
either because of its location or for any other reason,
it was replaced by another one with a lower score;
it was instructed that the required information
should be given by the highest managerial authority
or the one following in rank.
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Sample design for the teaching and administrative staff
The technical team was able to apply the questionnaire
to twenty cases that are equivalent to a census of the RE
staff at the Universidad Galileo when the survey was done.
Problems around whether results are representative or not
are then out of the question.
Sample design for departments, institutes or units of
Higher Education Institutions involved in the field of RE
A list of departments, institutes or units involved in RErelated activities was made for this approach, based on the
visits made to universities in Guatemala. They were:

Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala;

USAC;

Universidad del Valle de Guatemala;

UVG;

Universidad Rafael Landívar;

URL; and

Universidad Galileo, GU.
Once this list was done, we attempted to cover all the existing
entities. Thus, a census was obtained and we were able to
apply the questionnaire to 10 of them. We can therefore
claim that this sample’s results are representative as well.
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Data recording and analysis plan
All questionnaires were pre-coded in the same sheet where
the questions and answers were. Thus, the interviewer
recorded this information immediately after finishing
the questionnaire application. In order to process the
questionnaires’ contents, the program Statistical Package
for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used and three data
bases were done belonging to the results of each sample.
Results/analysis
The three surveys mentioned in the methodology are aimed
to focus the labour market, mainly covering those industries
and organizations that are capable of influencing the offer
and demand of qualified personnel. On this basis the market
survey should be first in the analysis, because it highlights
the demand for deriving consequences afterwards, in the
Out of the 51 light of these results, for the universities, their staff and
cases, one was the administrative units to which they are affiliated that
a co-operative, represent the offer of qualified personnel for those firms. For
this reason, the analysis that follows, based on the samples,
three
examines first the market survey, second the staff survey and
were nongovernmental third, the universities’ organizational units in the field of RE.
organizations
(NGOs) and
36 belonged
to the private
The evaluation of the sectors in which these industries
sector.
and organizations work prove that the survey was, indeed,
well focused towards private and public companies and
organizations directly related to renewable energy.
The following characteristics drawn from the data gathered
should be highlighted:
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Guatemalan RE industries and organizations are mainly
oriented towards hydroelectric energy generation although
windpower is a rising star. The industries and organizations
working with RE mainly do it with hydropower, biomass and
solar thermal energy; however, wind and photovoltaic energy
is also being carried out in Guatemala, though on a smaller
scale. When the RE sector in which companies plan to work
is studied, hydropower and biomass strongly appear again,
but windpower has a bigger projection of expansion. Data
not shown here put windpower in first place, both in absolute
numbers and in percentages.
There is a bias favouring education and training plans but
a more practical emphasis is advanced when companies
and organizations are confronted with energy generation
activities. Regarding the area in the value chain in which
companies plan to work, projections towards education
and training have priority. However, with regard to those
companies that already participate in this market, ‘planning,
project management and marketing’ is first in preference,
and ‘energy industry’ and ‘research and development’
are second, followed by ‘mechanical engineering/plant
construction’, leaving ‘education and training’ behind. With
regard to the way industries approach their activities, their
own development and joint development are preferred. A
representative of the RE private sector in a focus group on
the subject said:
We should foster entrepreneurs and
particularly the practical part and leave
for later […] the academy. Because the RE
subject is more for us who already have certain
experience. We should be more practical […]
RE is hydraulic, solar, photovoltaic, thermal
including geothermal. If one asks individuals
coming out of a RE Master’s Degree, why
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don’t you calculate for 100 metres, 100
litres, the diameter and how the containers
should be for a possible project. Have these
professionals with higher education the
capacity to make this calculation? (JELARE,
2009)
Annual returns, industry size and employment
diversification depicts a self-sustainable and increasing
RE growth sector in Guatemala. Partial information given
by a significant number of industries and organizations is
proof that RE, when considering total turnover of these
large-scale industries in 2008, can position itself in a highincome sector if the performance of these companies is
followed. Although the turnover information was partial, as
respondents chose not to answer the question, the variable
regarding the number of employees, when considered,
corroborates with prior statements. The most important
conclusion that can be drawn from this data is that RE
companies are sustainable across many sizes, especially when
one can observe companies with ‘more than five hundred’ and
between ‘two hundred and fifty to four hundred and ninetynine’ employees in the RE sector (15.8% of the total). Work
assignments that those industries and organizations give to
their employees show that there is a wide diversity in their
main occupations and qualifications needed, going from
very concrete aspects such as production/manufacture to
more abstract and responsible duties such as management,
sales and research.
Links to HEIs emerged from recruitment needs and
direct hiring from a labour force that showed scarce
availability of qualifications together with unequal and
unsatisfactory performances in the job according to
employers. Recruitment is clearly addressed to technicians
and university graduates in the RE area of the market. Few
organizations hire through external agencies. Almost all of
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the organizations use direct recruitment and few of them use
both. Most employers in the RE sector revealed that they
have difficulties when searching and selecting appropriate
employees. The main problems faced when hiring are the
lack of applicants, and the lack of specialized technical
capabilities. Currently, multidisciplinary capabilities do
not seem to appear among their problems as is seen in
Graphic 6.1. This view contrasts with the need perceived
at the HEIs, where a greater emphasis in multidisciplinary
subjects is highlighted. Perceptions of employment in the Looking
RE sector in the short term are critical and in the medium only to the
percentage
term are promising.
distribution
Which new qualifications in the field of renewable energy do you of the answer
‘Yes’ in Table
think will be required of your employees in the future?
6.2 that
follows the
graphic.
Graphic 6.1 – Perceptions among Market Participants of New Qualifications.
The felt need of RE workforce better qualifications coming
from HEI is not a ‘blank cheque’ but specifies certain
conditions along practical and ‘down-to-earth’ low-cost
training or externally financed which means less formal
education around titles and production oriented with
a less multidisciplinary perspective. In theory, there is an
openness of the interviewees towards training and education.
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Nevertheless, the condition for the above is, mainly, the
possibility of having access to external support, although
would be favourable attitudes towards ‘education and training
at work’ and ‘external training’, leaving behind ‘e-learning
and blended learning’ and ‘long-term external continuous
education courses’.
Training is planned to be carried out at the companies
and organizations. In contrast to the openness towards
innovation inferred from other information, the preference
is towards the ‘strengthening of basic existent capabilities’,
followed, with a lower score, by ‘new specialized technical
skills’ and with almost no preference is ‘multidisciplinary
efforts’, confirming previous findings as can be seen in Table
6.2. There is almost a consensus in the main motivations for
new requirements in RE capabilities which include product
and process innovations followed by market needs. Finally,
there is less emphasis in the legal framework, government
incentives and basic innovations, as well as in the areas of
information technology and communications.
Responses f
YES
34
NO
8
N/A
9
%
66.7
15.7
17.6
f
20
23
8
%
39.2
45.1
15.7
Multidisciplinary
qualifications
(communication
skills, foreign
language skills and
social skills)
f
%
4
7.8
39
76.5
8
15.7
TOTAL
100.0
51
100.0
51
Variable
Enhancement
New specialized
of existing
technical
basic
qualifications
qualifications
51
100.0
Others
f
0
42
9
%
0.0
82.4
17.6
51 100.0
Table 6.2 – New qualifications needed for organization’s employees in the future
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The profile required by companies and market
organization forces HEIs to rethink their practices and
search for greater synergies. There is almost unanimous
awareness of the fact that universities need to develop new
courses and capabilities in RE. Nevertheless, the tendency
is towards additional capabilities in order to complement
initial professional education and is not aimed at new
professions. An area emphasized by participants in the focus
group was better coordination within the universities and
externally with the private and public sector. A participant
in this exercise, who belongs to one of the universities in the
country, expressed it this way:
The problem is that we are starting from
zero in all plans and support is not sought
from someone that has already started
that could give some ideas that could
give support to what one is doing […]
These attitudes continue the same without
change […] In my university, there is a lab
on atmospheric studies that is located in the
Pharmacy Department but it has neither a
relationship nor established any link with
the Masters Degrees related to Energy and
Environment that is at the core of the subject.
I work in a Research Co-ordination Unit that
covers the whole university, but the work of
this Department has never been related to
an Energy Programme. This practice is quite
widespread.
What is most expected from universities is ‘processes
innovation’, ‘training and education’ and ‘basic research and
development’. In regard to services that could be expected
by the market from the HEIs, technology transfer has a
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priority, besides the access to the latest knowledge. In any
event, respondents perceive that the universities’ programs
should be reconfigured, as shown in Graphic 6.2.
The perception of HEIs by employers is that they are
behind the market needs. The major challenges that the RE
market faces, according to the respondents, include: limited
financing, inadequate education and public policies, limited
support from the government, environmental and social
restrictions, lack of information about RE in the population,
inadequate technology and the high costs associated with RE.
Do universities need to develop new courses and qualifications in the
field of Renewable Energy?
Graphic 6.2 (part 1) – Respondents’ perception of HEIs.
Universities need to develop:
142
Graphic 6.2 (part 2) – Respondents’ perception of HEIs.
10/10/26 14:25
The findings that follow correspond to the sample drawn
from all professors and administrators related to RE at the
GU.
Staff ’s profile shows a small number of teacheradministrators at the top, managing a greater number
of temporary professors heavily loaded with teaching
activities and other full-time jobs.
Graphic 6.3 – Main activities and where staff are allocated.
The profile of GU teachers’ teaching structure, as is seen
in Graphic 6.3, is no different in its basic characteristics
from those of other HEIs in Guatemala, with a very small
segment of teachers with administrative duties at the top
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and a large group of temporary teachers, overwhelmingly
in charge of teaching at the bottom. Most of the time, the
latter work in other universities and/or dedicate limited time
away from their primary job to these activities. Research
activities show its absence in this context, as opposed to the
teaching approach, which has almost a full-time dedication,
with no room for other activities. On the other hand, the
recent creation of programs related to RE reveals the fact
that few teachers show a long-term connection with the
GU and therefore the number of courses taught in the last
cycle is lower than the number taught in the most recent
cycle. Therefore their insertion as teachers is very recent.
Hydroelectric energy generation is the preferred field of
work as well as the respondents’ greater interest, followed
by biomass, especially in this last instance while both
expressed preferences towards attaining these goals with
formal education higher degrees. Regarding teachers’
professional development, a shift towards training and
education can be seen, when it is contrasted to other areas in
the chain of value. This shift in behaviour can be attributed
either to their academic background or their interest in
these innovations, even when they come from professional
areas or sectors different from RE.
Among the sectors where teachers said they worked, there
is hydraulics, which is highly correlated to the potential in
Guatemala in this field, as described before. This preference
is also present in the disclosed interest to work, although the
biomass sector here is also relevant. Consistent with that,
the interest in receiving training is more concentrated in
hydropower and biomass, although wind, geothermal and
solar thermal energy also get special attention. With respect
to curiculum development, according to different forms,
more formal degrees, such as Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD,
are preferred; the Technical degree follows these degrees as
an option. It is important to observe that this preference is in
contrast to the one expressed by participants in the market.
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Laboratories, research skills and access to scientific
databases are urgent requirements, according to the
respondents, including greater links with the RE
industry and government, not only for learning but
also for funding these activities. In research, there was
a marked preference among respondents towards taking
courses in funding opportunities and research management
capabilities, compared to fund management as such, which
seems reasonable given that lack of funding is perceived as
a main concern regarding RE. There is no need for fund
management when there is none in the first place. Among
training requirements, the concern over infrastructure again
emerges, as well as the right research infrastructure, mainly
laboratories and equipment, as the most perceived need.
These results can be observed in Table 6.3.
Expanding on the above, access to a scientific database also
came up very strongly in data not shown here. However,
to a lesser extent, significant percentages were also evident
related to the need for more collaboration with the RE
industry and the ability to be updated in this field. There is
also, in the survey on GU teachers, a concern about research,
either funded by the RE market or by government agencies,
apart from the need to connect students’ practice with the
RE industry through exchanges or internships.
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Variables
Responses
Very
important
need
Major need
Definite
need
Minor need
No need
TOTAL
How would you
describe your
need to update
technical /
vocational
knowledge
and skills in
your area of
teaching /
researching?
How would
you describe
your need
to keep up
to date with
the major
technological
changes in
the field of
renewable
energies?
How would
you describe
your need for
learning skills
of RE curriculum
development?
How would
you describe
your need for
better research
infrastructure,
such as
laboratories and
equipments?
f
%
f
%
f
%
f
%
4
20
6
30
4
20
11
55
6
30
9
45
4
20
4
20
7
35
3
15
6
30
4
20
3
0
20
15
0
100
2
0
20
10
0
100
5
1
20
25
5
100
0
1
20
0
5
100
Table 6.3 – Requirements in terms of training and qualification for RE.
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Variables
Answer
Very
important
need
Major need
Definite
need
Minor need
No need
TOTAL
How would
you describe
your need
for access to
a scientific
database in
RE?
How would you
describe your need
for participation in
networking events in
RE, such as attendance
at workshops,
seminars, conferences
and/or field visits to
the industry?
How would you
describe your
need for more
collaboration
between
Universidad
Galileo and the
RE industry?
f
%
f
%
f
%
9
45
5
25
7
35
7
35
13
65
8
40
3
15
1
5
5
25
1
0
20
5
0
100
1
0
20
5
0
100
0
0
20
0
0
100
Table 6.3 (cont) – Requirements in terms of training and qualification for RE.
Data gathered through questionnaires applied to ten different
RE-related departments, institutions and units, equivalent
to a census of all efforts made by Guatemalan universities in
the RE field, support this section’s statements. In addition,
we visited these universities and one focus group.
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RE’s innovation practices at HEIs in Guatemala mainly
started from the year 2007 onwards. These innovations
can be seen in graduate and pre-graduate programs. These
programs use experienced staff from different areas of
knowledge to transfer their know-how to students and
teaching staff. Also, since 2007 there has been an attempt at
collaboration between public and/or private organizations
and existent multidisciplinary programs in the institutions.
Other important innovations are planned for the next
twenty-four months such as Research Labs financed by
productive sector organizations and external cooperation. It
is worthwhile to point out that other practices that are more
related to basic research and information technologies, such
as newly developed registered patents or technologies that
allow virtual teams to develop, are not even considered in
the near future, emphasizing again the weakness in the
research area.
Teaching through courses, books and conferences is
by far the main approach, rather than research, while
geothermal and solar thermal energy sectors are
emphasized, followed by other RE sectors. As can be seen
in Table 6.4, very little research is done at the universities
in RE sectors. However, there is an emphasis, prioritized by
respondents. The question required respondents to answer
which sectors they considered when teaching or when doing
research. Curiously enough, percentages were higher on
teaching geothermal and solar thermal energy followed by
hydroenergy, windpower, biofuel, biogas and photovoltaic
energy. This observation contrasts with priorities around
hydropower and biomass, expressed before. On the other
hand, biomass and hydrogen/fuel cells remain less mentioned.
Nevertheless, consistent with the findings shown above, the
products offered through teaching, to reinforce the subject,
revolve mainly around course materials, books and printed
conferences.
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RE policies, strategies and culture or value systems are
little practised at Guatemalan universities in the context
of low investment efforts. Policies, strategies or values
inducement are rarely used by Guatemalan universities,
and when they are used, results show percentages of 40%.
The greater percentages appear when there is a reference
regarding the incorporation of this kind of practice for the
future, reinforcing the former statement. Data not shown
here, but asked of Guatemalan respondents, confirm this
finding, with respondents acknowledging that 50% of these
entities do not have a strategic plan and when they do, 50%
of respondents find the degree of success in implementing
the strategic plan just ‘fairly fulfilled’ as opposed to ‘highly
fulfilled’.
Type of RE Windpower
Biofuel
Biomass
Biogas
Hydro
energy
Sector
Research
Teaching
f
1
5
%
10
50
f
1
5
%
10
50
f
0
3
%
0
30
f
0
5
%
0
50
f
1
6
%
10
60
Teaching and
research
1
10
2
20
3
30
1
10
2
20
There is none
0
0
1
10
2
20
2
20
1
10
Doesn’t know
3
30
1
10
2
20
2
20
0
0
Total
10
100
10
100
10
100
10 100 10 100
Table 6.4 (part 1) – Research and teaching activities by sector.
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Solar
Geothermal
Type of RE
thermal
energy
energy
Sector
f
%
f
%
Research
0
0
0
0
Teaching
8
80
9 90
Photovoltaic Hydrogen/
energy
fuel cells
f
0
5
%
0
50
F
0
2
%
0
20
Teaching and
research
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
There is none
1
10
1
10
2
20
6
60
Doesn’t know
1
10
0
0
3
30
2
20
Total
10
100
10
100
10
100
10
100
Table 6.4 (part 2) – Research and teaching activities by sector.
A final question was asked: ‘Does your entity have a specific
budget to invest in RE?’ The data indicates that 70% of
those that responded answered ‘No’ to this question. When
the respondents were asked to rate the investment in RE as
‘high, low or very low’, 50% of them responded ‘very low’.
This observation reinforces previous statements about the
place that RE occupies in Guatemalan universities.
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3 – Conclusions
Priorities by sectors, drawn from the responses given, are
straightforward regarding the potential that hydroenergy
has in Guatemala, perhaps followed by biomass. If a
difference is to be made in the future, research, teaching and
technology transfer should concentrate on these sectors.
Moreover, if the RE sector is to be modernized, four gaps
must be overcome:

breaches between the ideal and present reality in
the areas of research as opposed to teaching;
environment in contrast to RE activities;
specialization as opposed to a multidisciplinary
approach; and
lack of synergies due to poor coordination and
networking among the private, public and
university sectors in the RE field.
Gap between research and teaching
The collected data illustrate this gap, which affects all
university activities in Guatemala and, in general, these
statements may be extended to all developing countries. In
the RE sector, this gap acquires particular characteristics.
This disconnection between the ideal and reality appears in
the university sector when it is seen that the main responses
from Guatemalan universities towards this subject have
been implemented since 2007, precisely when oil prices
began to increase to levels never seen before. New practices
have arisen mainly in the design and implementation of
teaching units. Research and its results are systematically
left behind.
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This gap is widened by the following facts:

the lack of investment in research;
the absence of laboratories to carry out these
activities;
the lack of specialized personnel who can fulfil
quality of education standards when there are
requests for teachers to write, do research, and
teach;
the difficulties to access knowledge and other
research institutions advancing knowledge in the
field;
the weakness in offering appropriate and updated
training; and
the lack of specialized publications to encourage
publishing and debate among scholars.
This situation becomes relevant when it is verified that
there is almost no connection between universities and
the registration of patents, which is the product of the
emphasis in research and development in Higher Education
Institutions. On the other hand, it reinforces the lack of
interest from the private and public sectors and the market
in academic contribution.
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This situation has to be seen in the light of main deficiencies
detected in Guatemalan HEIs, which are also affecting the
RE sector. In general, the root of the problem is the reliance
on temporary teachers who are also working in two or more
universities to keep themselves solvent, and/or for the same
reason, teachers that engage mainly in other occupations, who
regard their involvement at the university just as a complement.
This involvement does not provide the stimuli to devote
time to research design projects and their implementation.
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Gap between RE and environmental studies
This weakness arises from the study of the curricula of
different programs related to environmental studies, which
show a lack of connection and synergy with RE-related
courses. It also arises from the observation of the activities
to which the groups related to environment devote their
efforts, compared to those more involved with RE. The
rise and fall of the price of oil might be affecting this gap,
because the interest in investing in RE is affected; more
interest is shown when it is high and less when it is low.
Furthermore, for those in environmental studies engaged
in concerns regarding climate change, atmospheric
pollution, sustainable development, social responsibility
concerning fuel energy use, and preservation of the
environment, among others, these subjects appear in a
permanent and systematic way. These subjects are usually
raised as warnings to discourage inappropriate behaviour or
oversights regarding RE consequences. These characteristics
contrast in their projection and can widen the gap and
prevent beneficial synergies between both activities.
Gap between specialization and a multidisciplinary
perspective
This gap could be related to the previous one because
both environmental studies and RE programs incorporate
multiple disciplines. Nevertheless, this gap is wider than the
gap between RE and environmental studies, because the
RE sector develops in a scenario that requires knowledge
and capabilities that go beyond the ones strictly related to
engineering. These other disciplines are more related to
information technology, economics, sociology, anthropology,
political science and law, among others. These courses are
often not shown in the curricula and, when is offered, little
emphasis is placed on them.
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This vacuum is also shown in the data collected in the survey,
when limitations are set in regard to the interdisciplinary
programs implemented recently, such as:

collaborations
organizations;
with
public
and/or
private

use of qualified personnel in different subject areas;

RE-related policies and strategies, etc.
Consensus is also needed between HEIs requesting new
skills and market participants who are more concerned with
basic and practical knowledge with less formal education
and multidisciplinary influence.
Gap among internal bodies within an entity and between
these entities and other external ones, jeopardizing coordination and networking
This observation clearly arises from visits to universities
interested in RE, as well as from the results of the focus
group. Attempts have been made to create networks that
could stimulate coordination. However, coordination, in
past experience, has led to problems of competition, as
many bodies in the public sector carry out similar activities
or duplicate existing ones, and eventually become rivals.
Coordination is also complicated by political, academic as
well as national changes.
The lack of coordination discourages synergy that could move
the RE sector forward in the short, medium and long term.
The survey also documents the possibilities of collaboration
that have not materialized, which would allow a follow-up
and a systematic advance in this field. Encounters between
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sectors through events of mutual interest, trainings, workshops
or seminars are still too casual and without specific objectives
and time terms.
This situation also weakens the financial flow from the
government and international cooperation towards the
RE sector and universities. The HEIs have not yet realized
the importance of having an appropriate academic input
for their own purposes and demands. Although there are
some isolated efforts on RE agreements among universities
and the public sector, together with the good use of the
companies’ field for the teaching-learning process of
students, these innovations are limited and experimental
with a low budget allocation.
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Chapter 7 – Latvia
1 – Renewable energy market in Latvia
The purpose of the policy regarding state renewable energy
resources is to promote their exploitation while respecting
the neighbouring environment and diminishing CO2
emissions. The Latvian Ministry of the Environment is
responsible for planning and working out the appropriate
basic documents in the area of renewable energy resources.
A bill governing the electric power market was passed
in 2005. It is the main normative act that regulates the
exploitation and support of renewable energy resources in
the Republic of Latvia. According to the law, the proportion
of electric power produced by renewable energy resources
has to make up 49.3% of electric power consumption in
2010.
On 24 February, 2009 the Latvian Cabinet issued regulations
no. 198, “Regulations regarding electric power production
utilizing the renewable energy resources, and the rocedure
of price determination”. On 10 March, 2009, the Latvian
Cabinet issued regulation no. 221, “Regulations regarding
the determination of electric power production and pricing,
and the production of electric power cogeneration”.
They regulate the production line in the field of electric
power and stipulate the following:
conditions of electric power production, utilizing
renewable energy resources;

criteria in accordance with which the producer
of electric power, utilizing renewable energy
resources, can obtain the rights to sell the produced
electric power in a volume necessary to buy electric
power;
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criteria in accordance with which producers of
electric power at power stations utilizing biomass
or biogas with capacity of over 1 MW can obtain
rights to get a guaranteed payment for the adjusted
electric capacity on the power station; and
activities to promote electric power production
from biomass.
The main attainable aims of the renewable energy resources
policy are the following:
electric power, which will be obtained from
renewable energy resources in 2010 will compose
49,3% of the total volume of electric power
produced;

specific share of renewable energy resources in the
general energy mix is at least 37%; and
specific share of biodiesel out of all transport fuels
will make up 5.75% of market power in 2010.
The purpose of the government policy is to achieve the
balance between an electric power query and delivery
potential from Latvian power stations in 2011 and 2012.
To achieve the highest energy efficiency, activities and
production by power stations that use local fuel and
renewable energy resources in cogeneration and a highefficiency cycle will be promoted. The remaining necessary
part of production will be taken from other kinds of fossil
fuel, to prevent the dominance of natural gas.
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The support from EU structural funds and the cohesion
fund should attract better renewable energy resources for
the use and development of cogeneration stations for the
use biomass. 8.1 million lats from the state budget and 27
million Ls from the European structural fund are foreseen to
attract investment into biomass cogeneration power stations
by 2016. The renewable energy resources strategy is closely
linked to the introduction of energy efficiency activities,
therefore an integrated approach to energy efficiency issues
is included in the policy of renewable energy resources.
Utilization of additional renewable energy resources is
regulated by the Business Control Law passed in 2002,
which stipulates that support for renewable energy
production amounted to 40% from environmental
protection activities at facilities in 2005. The Biofuel
Act was adopted, which designates the targets for Latvia
concerning the specific share of biofuel – 2% of the
marketed energy transport fuel in 2005 and 5.75% in 2010.
Researching and teaching renewable energy at Rezekne
Higher Education Institute
Rezekne higher education institute prepares environmental
engineers and specialists in the professional Bachelor
of Environmental Science, Master of Environmental
Protection and Doctor of Environmental Engineering.
Study courses related to renewable energy resources and their
use are mandatory and included in all these programmes.
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Thus,the professional Bachelor’s Environmental Engineering
programme includes the following components, associated
with the renewable energy study courses:
natural resources and technologies for the
utilization of natural resources;

energy and power supply;

the basics of ecotechnology; and

forest resources and management technologies.
Additional students’ specialization in RE is provided during
their practical training and preparation of degree work or
theses. There are the following Master’s courses:
Ecotechnology and industrial ecology;

Physical and chemical processes in the environment;
and
Biological and biochemical processes in the
environment.
The courses in natural resources, including renewable
resources, are taught in other degree programmes, for
example, the course “Natural Resources and Sustainable
development” –economic and pedagogical studies.
Research at Rezekne Higher Education Institution is
based on the Latvian Science Council-approved priorities
in science from 2006. The Latvian Council of Science
adopted priorities in scientific research for the 2006–2013
period in 2006. There is one related to energy resources out
of nine priorities: the electricity industry should provide
environmentally friendly renewable energy that is safe and
efficient.
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The research into renewable resources at Rezekne Higher
Education Institution is concentrated in the nature and
engineering departments and the Latgale sustainable
development research institute. This institute is currently
undertaking complex research: “Extraction, processing
and efficient complex utilization of renewable energy
ecotechnologies”.
Currently, research into solar and wind energy exploitation
is not carried out at Rezekne Higher Education Institution,
while at the level of the Bachelor’s and Master’s research
work they are handled in the same way as the use of heat
pumps. The research into wind and solar energy utilization
feasibility at Latgale is planned during the next three-year
period.
Rezekne Higher Education Institution does not only
conduct research in renewable resources, but also every
other year it organizes the international scientific practical
conference “Environment. Technology. Resources”,
containing papers on renewable energy resources and their
use related to scientific and practical aspects. The conference
materials are published in the conference paper volumes.
The seventh volume of the conference was issued in June
2009.
2 – The JELARE surveys in Latvia
Some important survey results
The survey itself was divided into 3 subcategories:

university benchmarking survey;

market survey; and

university (Rezekne Higher Education Institution)
staff survey.
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The respondents included four university representatives,
twelve companies that work or are planning to work in the
renewable energy sector, and ten staff members at Rezekne
Higher Education Institution. The next paragraph shows
some important survey results obtained in Latvia for each of
the aforementioned subcategories. Each graphic represents
one of the survey questions.
In all the universities, the study process and research are related
to environmental science, energy and environmental protection
study courses, which include renewable energy topics and have
existed since before 2007 (see Graphic 7.1).
Graphic 7.1 – How long has there been a focus on RE in the activities and
programmes of your university?
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Graphic 7.2
in renewable
the policy
problems at
shows that interdisciplinary programmes
energy exist and have been developing
and strategy of renewable resource
75% of Higher Education Institutions.
Graphic 7.2 – What kind of programmes in RE subjects does your university
provide?
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The degree programmes have dealt with almost all types of
renewable energy (see Graphic 7.3).
Graphic 7.3 – In which sector of renewable energies does your university
have research and/or teaching activities?
Taking into account that these types of energy are crucial
for Latvia, this work needs to be intensified. Currently 75%
of universities state the lack of funding for this research as
one of the most serious disincentives to continue their work.
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Rezekne Higher Education Institution staff are most
interested in receiving training in the following renewable
energy technologies:

windpower;

biomass;

solar thermal energy; and

hydropower (see Graphic 7.4).
Graphic 7.4 – In which RE technologies would you be interested in receiving training?
Graphics 7.5 and 7.6 show the types and sectors of
enterprises included in the survey.
Graphic 7.5 – Type of organization.
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Graphic 7.6 – In which sector does your organization operate?
64% of the companies consider as positive the availability
of qualified specialists in renewable energy on the labour
market of Latvia (Graphic 7.7).
Graphic 7.7 – How do you rate the availability of qualified renewable energy
staff on the labour market?
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Company survey results show that, despite a 100% interest
in corporate use of renewable energy in solving problems,
the number of employees that directly deal with renewable
energy issues amounts to only five, including just 16% of the
scientific staff (see Graphics 7.8 and 7.9).
Graphic 7.8 – How many staff members does your organization employ in
the field of renewable energies?
Graphic 7.9 – In which fields of activity, related to renewable energy, do your
employees work?
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The majority of specialists working in the field of renewable
energy have an university degree (Graphic 7.10).
Graphic 7.10 – What are the professional and educational backgrounds of the
employees you recruit in the renewable energy field?
At the same time, only 25% of companies feel the need to
expand the number of employees in this direction and to
predict how many they will need. 42% believe that they have
a sufficient number of employees in the field of renewable
energy. 42% of companies already predict the need to
increase the number of staff (Graphics 7.11 and 7.12).
Graphic 7.11 – What future employment trends do you predict for your
organization in the field of renewable energy in the short term for the next 2
years?
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Graphic 7.12 – What future employment trends do you predict for your
organization in the field of renewable energy in the medium term for the next
5 years?
Graphic 7.13 shows that companies are interested in their
own personnel in terms of improving professional skills, but
most of them are considering training from external sources
(generally 35%).
Graphic 7.13 – Which further training opportunities does your organization
currently plan in the field of renewable energy?
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Many businesses also support the need for new technical
and multidisciplinary qualifications (Graphic 7.14).
Graphic 7.14 – Which new qualifications in the field of renewable energy do
you think will be required of your employees in the future?
In addition, the main motivation for acquiring new
qualifications is innovation (product and process).
Graphic 7.15 – What are the drivers for new qualification in the field of
renewable energy requirements at your organization?
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The companies consider that renewable energy problemsolving is of great importance to external factors such
as appropriate legislation, public policies and initiatives.
Almost all companies are convinced that the specialist
field of renewable energy is necessary to develop new
courses and to develop new qualifications (Graphics 7.16
and 7.17).
Graphic 7.16 – Do universities need to develop new courses and qualifications
in the field of renewable energy?
Graphic 7.17 – Which new courses and qualifications in the field of
renewable energy do universities have to develop?
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The companies primarily expect specialist skills, research
and innovation from university activities (see Graphic 7.18).
Graphic 7.18 – What do you expect from the Higher Education Institutions in
the Renewable Energy sector?
Consequently, the companies need to offer forms of cooperation with universities, including joint research,
consultancy, monitoring and evaluation (see Graphic 7.19).
Graphic 7.19 – What types of services offered by HEIs would you be
interested in using?
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Each company has its own vision of services shown in
Graphic 7.19. Table 7.1 gives a more detailed look at specific
services required by the companies.
Services offered by HEI
Joint research and
development
Relevant topic

Comparative research results in RE area;

Energy plants;

Participation in the 7th framework programme
projects – new technologies in RE for production
process optimization;

Processes, technology, optimization.
Overview of different technologies and possibilities to
use them in Latvia;

Technology transfer
Consultancy, advisory service
Monitoring, evaluation
Providing access to latest
knowledge
Linking with business or
research partners

Only if HEI staff are more qualified than other Latvian
experts;

Processes, technology, optimization.
Possibilities to use biomass production scheme in
Latvia;

When something is not clear;

Only if HEI staff are more qualified than other Latvian
experts.
Professional evaluation of energy plants;

If it pays off.
Discussion groups, conferences;

Scientific evaluation and explanation of possibilities to
use latest RE technologies.

Common database for partners in RE area;

Exchange of experience;

Hydrology area.
Table 7.1 – What types of services offered by HEIs would you be interested in using?
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A major motive for academic and performance improvement,
together with business expansion, is the fact that 50% of
companies valued university activities in renewable energy as
an area of non-market requirements, and no one believes that
universities are at the forefront of market requirements.
Graphic 7.20 – How up to date do you think the HEIs are in terms of RE?
The major answers obtained from the question “What do
you regard as the major challenges for the wider application
of RE in your country?” are as follows:

co-operation between companies, integrated
government policy, lack of clear guidelines and
stimulation of development;
no support for RE projects, corruption, lack of
integrated government policy and support;
lobbying of gas, lack of integrated government
policy;
chaos and contradictions in legislation in the recent
years, no support from the government, things are
getting a little better now;
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lack of integrated government policy and support
for entrepreneurship;

political and economic situation;

economic crisis, EU funding; and

bureaucracy.
3 – Conclusions
Survey results demonstrate that all organizations, such as
public institutions, enterprises and universities – focus on
renewable energy. In all universities, the study process or
research are related to environmental science, energy and
environmental protection study courses, which include
renewable energy topics and have existed since before 2007.
Interdisciplinary programmes in renewable energy exist and
have been developing the policy and strategy of renewable
resource problems at 75% of Higher Education Institutions.
The degree programmes have been dealt with almost all
types of renewable energy. Students have been developing
papers and projects related to those particular resources.
Taking into account that these types of energies are crucial
for Latvia, this work needs to be intensified. Currently 75%
of universities state the lack of funding for this research as
one of the most serious disincentives to continue their work.
Company survey results show that, despite a 100% interest
in corporate use of renewable energy in solving problems,
the number of employees that directly deal with renewable
energy issues amounts to only five, including just 16% of the
scientific staff.
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At the same time, only 25% of companies feel the need to
expand the number of employees in this direction and to
predict how many they will need, 42% believe that they have
a sufficient amount of employees in the field of renewable
energy. 42% of companies already predict the need to
increase the number of staff.
Companies are interested in their own personnel improve
professional skills, but most of them are considering training
with an external support. Many businesses also support the
need for new technical and multidisciplinary qualifications.
In addition, the main motivation for acquiring new
qualifications is innovation (product and process).
Companies consider that renewable energy problemsolving is of great importance to external factors such as
appropriate legislation, public policies and initiatives.
Almost all companies are convinced that the specialist field
of renewable energy is necessary to develop new courses as
well as new qualifications.
Companies primarily expect specialist skills, research
and innovation from university activities. Consequently,
companies need to offer forms of co-operation with
universities including joint research, consultancy, monitoring
and evaluation.
A major motive for academic and performance improvement,
together with business expansion, is the fact that 50% of
companies valued university activities in renewable energy
as an area of non-market requirements, and no one believes
that universities are at the forefront of market requirements.
Currently, government has actively committed to the
legislation and regulatory aspects of renewable energy
resources. Survey results also demonstrate that it is necessary
to stimulate higher and technical education in renewable
energy, as so to provide a link between education and the
renewable energy industry.
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Chapter 8 – JELARE survey reports: main variables
8.1 – Questionnaire 1: market survey report
This section concerns the illustration and analysis of
the comparative results regarding the application of
Questionnaire 1 in the countries of the JELARE project.
General information about the organization
What typeof organization do you work for?
Most of the surveyed organizations are private. The highest
concentration of private organizations, 88%, is in Chile, and
the lowest, 34%, in Latvia. Brazil is the only country among
the surveyed organizations that does not have governmental
agencies. Latvia has the highest concentration, with 33%, and
Chile the lowest, with 6%. The highest distribution among
the answers is in Latvia, which has the highest percentage of
non-governmental organizations, 25%. The lowest, 4%, is in
Guatemala.
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In which sector does your organization operate?
In Brazil, Guatemala and Bolivia the organizations work in
nine different sectors; in Germany, Latvia and Chile, in five
sectors. In Chile, Guatemala and Bolivia more than half of
the researched institutions operate in the renewable energy
sectors; in Germany 43% and only 20% in Latvia and Brazil.
In the latter, there is a higher dispersion, with nine sectors
presenting frequency higher than 5%.
The organizations which operate in the non-renewable
energy sector (oil and gas industries) represent, on average,
15% of the surveyed organizations. This sector presents the
second highest percentages in all of the surveyed countries,
with two exceptions: Brazil, where transport occupies the
position with 11% and Chile, where 70% of the organizations
operate in the field of non-renewable energies.
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Is your organization interested in the development of
renewable energy-related projects?
More than 90% of the organizations are interested in developing
renewable energy-related projects in Brazil, Bolivia, Chile and
Guatemala. In Latvia, all the organizations are interested in
RE-related projects. In Germany, all organizations in the
sample already work with RE.
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In which sector of renewable energies does your organization
operate (part 1)?
operate (part 2)?
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Among the RE sectors in which the organizations already
operate, Germany seems to be advanced, showing percentages
equal to or higher than 10% in all surveyed sectors, mainly
in windpower and biogas, with which 80% and 50% of the
organizations operate respectively. Chile is the only other
country with more than 10%.
plan to operate (part 1)?
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plan to operate (part 2)?
However, the percentages of organizations that intend to
operate in renewable energy-related areas in Brazil, Bolivia,
Chile and Guatemala are much higher than in Germany.
In Latvia, few organizations already operate in renewable
energy sectors. The highest frequency sector is biomass, with
26%. Oddly enough, however, the organizations in Latvia
do not show interest in the sector. 11% of the organizations
plan to operate in the windpower segment, the highest
percentage.
In Brazil, biogas is the main sector of interest to the
organizations, with 19%, followed by biofuels, biomass and
windpower, all with 15%. In the Bolivian and Guatemalan
organizations, the segment of the highest interest is
windpower, with 40% and 33% respectively. In Chile, it
is estimated that half of the organizations perform in
hydropower and windpower, and the geothermal sector is
the most desirable (50%), followed by photovoltaic energy,
with 42%.
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In which segment of the renewable energy value chain
does your organization operate?
In which segment of the renewable energy value chain
does your organization plan to operate?
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The segments of the renewable energy value chain in
which there are the highest concentration of organizations
operating are planning, project management and marketing.
This does not occur only in Guatemala, where education and
training present the highest percentage, and in Latvia, where
the highest frequency of answers is for the research and
development segment. In Germany, maintenance and repair
segments are also the most frequently mentioned, with 45%,
along with planning.
Among the German and Latvian organizations, there is
a low frequency of answers about the planning of which
segment they should operate in. Operation and management
is the highest percentage sector, with 18%, and, in Germany
and Latvia, the preferred segment is education and training,
with 7%.
For the future, the highest proportion of organizations in
Brazil, 15%, plan to operate in the segment of inspection
and certification. In Guatemala, 21% of the organizations
intend to enter into the planning, project management
and marketing segment. In Chile, the goal of 17% of the
surveyed organizations is to operate in the research and
development segment. And in Bolivia, the operation in the
energy trade is part of the plans of 22% of the organizations.
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How does your organization develop projects related to
renewable energy?
Only in Germany is self-development is the most common
method to develop renewable energy-related projects;
among the German organizations surveyed, approximately
70% use this procedure. In Chile, 67% of the organizations
develop both individual and joint projects. In Chile, 58%
of the researched institutions use the three researched
methods.
The most common method in Brazil, Latvia and Bolivia is
joint development. 60%, 50% and 40% of the organizations
respectively carry out this procedure. Tercerization is
practised by 52% of the Guatemalan organizations in the
development of renewable energy projects.
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What was your organization’s turnover in 2008?
In Guatemala and Latvia, more than half of the organizations
did not reveal their 2008 turnover. In Bolivia, the revenue
of 23% of the organizations was up to €50,000, the highest
rate for this income range among the countries surveyed.
Guatemala follows, with 7% of the organizations with up to
€50,000 of revenue.
Nearly 60% of the Chilean organizations presented results
above the €10 million. In Germany, 41% obtained a turnover
higher than €10 million, with the same percentage of noresponses. It is estimated that 14% of the Guatemalan
organizations reached this financial result. In Brazil, 14%
obtained over €10 million of turnover in 2008. In Latvia, none
of the organizations confirmed that they achieved more that
€10 million, and the highest frequency ranged from €100,000
to €200,000.
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What was your organization’s turnover resulting
from the renewable energy segment in 2008?
In relation to the turnover resulting from the segment
of renewable energies, Germany presents the highest
percentage among the organizations, with revenue of over
€10 million, equivalent to 27%. Brazil and Chile follow
Germany, with around 25%; and finally, Guatemala, with
13%, and Bolivia, with 3% of the organizations.
Once more, not many replies were received. In Latvia,
86% of the organizations did not report their income. In
Brazil and Guatemala, this percentage was higher than
for the half of the surveyed organizations. In Bolivia, the
percentage of non-responses was 47%, in Chile, 42% and in
Germany, 36%. Only in Brazil did no organization present
turnover lower than €100,000 in the renewable energy field.
In Bolivia, 27% of the organizations involved in research
obtained revenue below €100,000 in 2008.
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In Bolivia, 27% of the organizations researched obtained
turnover below €100,000, and in Guatemala, 16%, while in
Germany 9% of the organizations presented results below
€50,000 in the segment. In Chile, 25% of the organizations
did not have any turnover in the renewable energy segment,
and none of the organizations that obtained revenue made
less than $2 million.
Collaborators’ capacitation and qualification
What is the total number of co-workers in your organization
(part 1)?
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What is the total number of co-workers in your organization
(part 2)?
In Chile, over 50% of the organizations have more than 500
co-workers. In Brazil, the number falls to 33%. Germany
and Guatemala follow, with 25% and 18% respectively and
then Latvia, with 8%. Bolivia does not have any organization
with more than 500 employees in the research field. Among
the organizations with up to five collaborators, Germany
and Latvia show the highest percentage (25%), followed by
Bolivia (27%) and Brazil and Guatemala (approximately
12%).
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What is the total number of co-workers in RE in your
organization (part 1)?
What is the total number of co-workers in RE in your
organization (part 2)?
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The organizations with up to five collaborators
represent 86% of the Latvian organizations, 48% of the
surveyed organizations in Bolivia and 43% in Brazil. In
Germany and Guatemala these organizations represent
approximately 30%, whereas in Chile it is 25%. 8% of the
German and Guatemalan organizations have more than
500 co-employees in the renewable energy area. Among
the Brazilian organizations, this percentage is 7%. No
organization surveyed in Bolivia and Chile has more than
500 collaborators.
What is the availability of qualified professionals for
the renewable energy area in the labour market?
Through the analysis of the results, it is possible to observe
that among the surveyed countries, it is Latvia where the
availability of qualified renewable energy professional
is perceived by organizations to be highest. 46% of the
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organizations surveyed in Latvia evaluate the labour force
as sufficient for renewable energy. However, the highest
rate of organizations stating that there are no professionals
available for the area is found in Chile with 17%.
In Germany, half of the organizations surveyed consider the
number of qualified professionals as low. Yet in Brazil and
Guatemala, it is estimated that 47% of the organizations
evaluate the professional availability for the renewable
energy area as insufficient. In Chile, the proportion of
organizations considering the availability of professionals
to be enough is equal to the proportion of the organizations
that believe otherwise.
In which area of renewable energy do your employees work?
Among the Chilean organizations, around 30% of the
employees operate in the management and research and
development sector. In Germany, most of the surveyed
collaborators (18%) work in the management. Around 10%
of the workforce in Guatemala, Bolivia and Latvia and
around 15% in Brazil operate in this segment. The highest
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concentration of employees (25%) is in the production
segment in Guatemala. This division represents 15% of the
Bolivian, 9% of the Brazilian and 4% of the German and
Latvian workforce. Around 17% of the collaborators from
the surveyed organizations operate in the sales segment in
Bolivia. In the other countries, between 9% and 10% work
in that segment.
What is the qualification level of the professionals recruited in
the area of renewable energy in your organization?
Concerning the qualifications of the professionals hired
for the renewable energy area, Bolivia and Guatemala
presented very similar responses. In both countries, 45%
of the researched organizations recruited professionals
with technical qualifications. In Latvia, 64% of the hired
professionals have a university degree. In the other countries,
this rate is around 45%, except for Chile, where it is 83%.
People with qualifications in the business area represent
21% of the professionals recruited in the Brazilian and
German organizations, 12% in Latvia and 9% in Bolivia
and Guatemala.
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What are the mechanisms used by the organization
to recruit professionals in the renewable energy area?
In all the countries, the most common selection method is
direct recruiting. In all of the countries it is used in more
than 50% of the researched organizations.
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What are the main dificulties faced in choosing qualified
professionals in the renewable energy area?
According to the results, the only surveyed country where
it is not difficult to select qualified professionals is Latvia,
stated by 62% of their organizations. In the other countries,
the main difficulty is the lack of qualified technical
specialization and few candidates.
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In terms of recruiting, what are the perspectives for your
organization in the renewable energy area in the short term
(next 2 years)?
For the next two years, most organizations from Brazil
and Guatemala have positive perspectives in relation to
the employment of professionals. In Germany, Bolivia and
Latvia, it looks like the level of recruitment will remain
constant. In Chile, the same percentage (42%) believes that
the number of professionals to work in RE will remain
constant and positive.
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In terms of recruiting, what are the perspectives for your
organization in the renewable energy area in the medium term
(next 5 years)?
In the medium term, most organizations believe there is a
positive outlook for professional recruitment.
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Market requirements and needs
Which training modalities does your organization plan for the
renewable energy field?
In relation to the planning of the training modality to
be offered in the renewable energy field, the answers
are very diverse. In Latvia, the highest concentration of
answers indicate that training sessions are not needed. The
organizations in all surveyed countries in general plan to use
mainly on-the-job training, training with external support
and continuing education in HEIs.
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Concerning future capacitations, what actions will you
implement for your professionals?
The strengthening of employees’ qualifications is integrated
into the plans of most of the surveyed organizations, in
particular in Guatemala and Brazil, where 59% and 41%
respectively intend to focus on capacitation. In Chile and
Bolivia, 75% and 45% of the organizations respectively
implemented actions for the acquisition of new technical
qualifications. Similar statistics are found in the other
countries too.
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What drives for new qualifications does your organization
need?
Among the surveyed organizations, around 21% believe they
need product innovations. The proportion of organizations
that need new qualifications in process innovation account
for 30% in Guatemala and approximately 25% in Germany
and Bolivia. In Chile and Latvia, ‘Changes in the regulatory
milestone is the most important requirement from the
organizations’ standpoint. Additionally, some of Brazilian
organizations state that they need more financial incentive
from the government.
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Should universities develop new courses and qualifications in
the renewable energy field?
The majority of the surveyed organizations in all countries
believe that the universities need to develop new renewable
energy-oriented courses. None of the countries returned an
affirmative response rate of less than 75%.
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Affirmative cases:
More than 60% of the organizations believe that the
universities must develop additional qualifications to
complement education. This is the model in all of the
countries except for Brazil, where there is a similarity
between the number of organizations that believe the
universities should develop new qualifications and the ones
that believe the HEIs should develop new professional
profiles.
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The role of the Higher Education Institutions
What do you expect from the Higher Education Institutions in
the renewable energy sector?
From the organizations surveyed in Germany, Chile and
Guatemala, the highest percentage expects the HEIs to
offer training and education in relation to the renewable
energy sector. In Bolivia, this expectation is also high, placing
equal importance on basic research and development. This
last expectation is found mainly among the Brazilian
organizations. In Latvia, the main expectation of the
organizations in the HEIs in the renewable energy field is
basic innovation.
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What types of services offered by the Higher Education
Institutions would your organization be interested in using?
The service that most attracts the surveyed organizations
is, in general, technology transfer. This service showed
higher response rates in Germany, Brazil, Chile and
Guatemala. Nevertheless, in Brazil and Chile, joint research
and development also interests the same percentage
of organizations. Joint research is the most interesting
service for the organizations in Bolivia. And in Latvia, the
organizations look for consultancy and advice from the
HEIs.
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Do you consider that the Higher Education Institutions, in
terms of renewable energy, are...
In all the surveyed countries, at least 50% of the organizations
consider that the HEIs are behind the market requirements.
At this point, particular attention should be given to Bolivia,
where 93% of the organizations see this gap between the
market and the HEIs. In Germany, the respondents are
divided almost equally between organizations that believe
the HEIs are updated, and those that believe that they fall
behind. 6% of Brazilian organizations affirm that the HEIs
are ahead of the market.
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8.2 – Questionnaire 2: staff survey report
Due to different forms of presenting the information, some
graphics have not been included in this report.
What is your current position within your HEI?
Most of the staff interviewed in Chile work in research. In
Germany, Guatemala and Latvia, the highest representativity
is among the professionals in the teaching area. In Brazil
and in Bolivia, there is a great dispersion in the responses,
and it is not possible to characterize an area that is most
representative.
What type of HEI or department are you currently working in?
Only in Chile and Guatemala were there professionals
who operated directly with renewable energies – on MSc
courses in both countries. In Brazil, most professionals work
in engineering HEIs. In Latvia, the highest concentrations
are in agriculture and engineering. In Bolivia, engineering
is also one of the most frequently mentioned areas, together
with economy and social sciences. In Germany, they were
not concentrated in any specific area.
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Which of the following options best describes your current
position within your HEI?
Research and development is the area with the highest
frequency of responses in Germany, Bolivia and Latvia. In
Brazil, there is again a high concentration in the engineering
field, this time in electrical engineering. In Guatemala, the
planning and education areas represent the highest response
rate.
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Which of the RE sectors are you working / interested in (part 1)?
Which of the RE sector are you working / interested in (part 2)?
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Windpower is the busiest renewable energy sector in terms
of professional performance or interest in Germany, Bolivia,
Chile and Latvia. The top position is shared with the biomass
and photovoltaic sectors in Germany and Chile. In Brazil,
solar energy is the busiest, with 27% of the professionals
engaged or interested in the area. In Guatemala, hydropower
has the highest percentage, with 33% of employees.
Which of the following options best describes the duration
of your academic experience in renewable energies?
In Chile and Guatemala, most of the surveyed professionals
have less than five years of academic experience in the
renewable energies. 75% of the Brazilian professionals
who participated in the survey have less than nine years of
experience. In Latvia, 40% of the employees are senior, with
more that ten years of experience. In Bolivia, the responses
were balanced, the three options – junior, expert and senior
– represented 22% of the professionals.
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How long have you been researching renewable energies?
This question does not apply to most respondents in Brazil
and Bolivia. Among the respondents, 25% of the Brazilian
professionals and 40% of the Latvian professionals have
been developing curricula in RE for more than ten years. In
Bolivia, 44%, in Guatemala, 55% and in Chile 57% of the
professionals have been developing curricula for less than
five years.
How long have you been researching renewable energy?
In all the countries in the survey, most professionals have less
than five years of experience in renewable energy research.
However in Latvia, 40% of the professionals have less than
five years of experience and 40% have more than ten years
of experience.
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Training needs
Would you be interested in being trained in RE technologies
(part 1)?
Would be interested in being trained in RE technologies
(part 2)?
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Most professionals in all surveyed countries are interested
in receiving training in RE technologies. In Germany and
Bolivia, the highest interest in training is, according to the
employees, the biomass area. For the other countries it is
distributed as follows: solar energy in Brazil; hydropower
in Guatemala; geothermal power in Chile and windpower
in Latvia.
Would you be interested in receiving capacitation in
curricula development in RE?
More than 80% of the employees in Brazil, Bolivia and
Guatemala are interested in receiving capacitation in
curricula development in renewable energies. In Latvia,
there is a 50:50 split between those professionals who are
and who are not interested in receiving that kind of training.
In Germany and Chile, more than half of the employees are
not interested.
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The types of capacitation that appeal most strongly to the
professionals are: the MSc (university Masters degree) in
Bolivia, Germany and Guatemala; the Bachelor degree in
Latvia; and joint programmes with international institutions
in Chile. In Brazil, some professionals are interested in
short-term capacitation courses and others in seminars and
congresses.
Would you be interested in receiving training in the
development of teaching modules in RE?
In Bolivia, Chile and Guatemala, more than half of the
professionals who participated in the survey are interested in
receiving training to develop teaching modules in renewable
energies. In Latvia and Germany, 90% and 70% respectively
are not interested in this kind of training, and in Brazil the
number of employees interested in training is the same as
the number who are not interested in it.
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Would you be interested in receiving capacitation in
research management in RE?
In all six countries, most professionals showed interest in
qualifying in research management for funding. In addition,
in Guatemala many stated they would also want to receive
capacitation in management in research, and in Latvia in
the management of research funding.
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Requirements in terms of training and qualification
for RE
How do you assess your needs regarding the update of
technical knowledge in your teaching/research area?
According to Brazil, Bolivia and Chile, the need to update
technical knowledge in their teaching/research area is
significant, whereas most professionals in Germany,
Guatemala and Latvia responded that they needed updating
in technical knowledge.
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How do you assess your requirements for updates due to
technological changes in RE?
Most employees in Brazil, Bolivia, Guatemala and Latvia
define the requirements for updates due to technological
changes in the renewable energy field as quite necessary. Yet
in Germany, 44% responded that this is a defined necessity,
and in Chile 57% of the professionals define the requirement
for updating expertise due to technological changes as very
important.
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How do you assess your needs with regards to developing
skills in curricula elaboration in RE?
Most surveyed professionals in Brazil, Bolivia and Chile rank
the need to develop skills in the elaboration of curricula in
renewable energies as quite necessary. In Latvia, it is ranked
as less necessary, whereas in Guatemala and Germany
30% rank it as a defined necessity. The same percentage of
Germans consider it unnecessary.
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How do you assess your needs in research infrastructure
(laboratories and equipment) in RE?
Only in Brazil the need for improved infrastructure in
research (laboratories and equipments) in renewable energies
is regarded as quite necessary by most professionals. In the
other countries, most respondents define that necessity as
very important.
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How do you assess the requirement for you to have access
to a database in RE?
In Brazil and in Chile, approximately 70% of the employees
consider the need to access a database in renewable energies
as important. In Germany and Latvia, around 40% of the
professionals evaluate this necessity as defined, whereas in
Chile and Bolivia they find it very important.
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What are your requirements for events in the renewable
energy area (workshops, seminars, conferences and field
visits to companies and industries in the area)?
In Brazil, Bolivia and Guatemala, more than half of the
surveyed professionals evaluate the need to participate in
events in the RE area as important. In the other countries
needs in this area are assessed as undefined.
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How would you describe the necessity for better interaction
between your HEI and the RE market?
Most professionals in Bolivia, Guatemala and Latvia
describe a closer interaction between their HEIs and the
market of renewable energies as important. In Germany
and Chile, most professionals consider it very important.
In Brazil, half of the professionals rank it as very important
and the other half as important.
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Specify what kind of training would be more suitable to
meet your needs in the renewable energy area?
Distinct responses.
Improving the interaction between your HEI and
the renewable energy market
From your standpoint, must this relationship be enhanced
in your HEI?
In all the surveyed countries, 90% or more professionals
believe that the relationship between HEIs and the
renewable energy market must be strengthened.
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How do you assess the need for more market-oriented
academic programmes?
The necessity of more market-oriented academic
programmes are ranked as very important by 50% of the
Brazilian professionals. 40% in Germany and Chile ranked
them as defined. In Bolivia, such programmes are considered
to be important by more than half of the interviewed
professionals, and in Latvia, 40% rank the need as defined
whilst the same percentage consider it an important need.
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How do you assess need for exchange programmes between
the HEI and RE market?
Professionals in Brazil, Guatemala and Chile are divided
as follows: the ones who consider exchange programmes
between the HEIs and the RE to be important, and those
who consider them very important. In Latvia, some consider
them very important, while some consider them a defined
need. Most professionals in Germany and Bolivia estimate
this kind of action as important.
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How do you assess the need for partnerships between the
HEI and RE market with the aim of sharing knowledge ?
Around 40% of respondents in Germany, Guatemala and
Latvia rank the partnerships between the HEIs and the RE
market as important as regards knowledge transfer. This is
also the evaluation of all the Brazilian professionals, and of
90% of Bolivian professionals. In Chile the responses are
disperse.
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How do you assess the need for company-sponsored RE
applied research conducted within the HEI?
Only in Germany was the practice of RE applied research,
conducted within the HEIs and funded by enterprises,
ranked as important by the majority of the surveyed
professionals. In all of the other countries it was considered
as very important by more than 40%.
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How do you assess the need for government-sponsored RE
applied research conducted within the HEI?
In Brazil, 75% of the professionals assess the practice of RE
applied research conducted within the HEIs and funded
by government agencies as important or very important.
Most professionals in Bolivia, Germany and Latvia assess
this practice as very important. More than half of the
professionals from Guatemala and Chile evaluate this
practice as important.
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How do you assess the need for a higher number of RE
internship vacancies for students in the companies?
An increase in the number of internships in the RE area
for students is considered very important by 70% of the
professionals in Latvia and 40% of the professionals in
Guatemala. In Germany and Chile, at least half of the
interviewed consider this need as defined, and among
the Brazilian and Bolivian professionals, 50% and 40%
respectively consider it an important necessity.
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How do you assess the need for continuous monitoring in
people management due to technological changes and to
the socio-economic environment?
The continuous monitoring in the people management is a
practice ranked as very important by most of the interviewed
professionals in Bolivia, Guatemala and Chile.
In Germany, 42% of the professionals evaluated the
monitoring as a defined necessity for the HEIs. 37% of the
professionals in Brazil and 40% in Latvia share the same
opinion. The same percentages represent the professionals
that in Brazil and Latvia, respectively, estimate the
continuous monitoring as very important and important.
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8.3 – Questionnaire 3: benchmarking survey report
Renewable energy at university
Do you have teaching programmes (undergraduate and
postgraduate) in the RE field?
The focus of the institutions occurs through undergraduate
and postgraduate programmes in all the surveyed universities
in Latvia since before 2007. In Germany, Bolivia and
Guatemala, most institutions also have these programmes,
while in Brazil only 12% of the institutions have had the
programmes since before 2007, and 75% of the institutions
do not use this tool.
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Do you have research projects on RE with foreign investment?
Research projects on renewable energies with foreign funding
are a common practice in most institutions in Germany and
Latvia. In Brazil, half of the surveyed HEIs are involved in
these projects. 60% of the institutions teaching research in
Bolivia do not utilize this practice and in Chile the figure
comes to 80%. In Guatemala, however, there is an identical
distribution among all the response options.
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Do you have research laboratories funded by organizations
from the manufacturing sector?
It is only in Germany and Brazil that most HEIs use
research laboratories funded by organizations from the
manufacturing sector in the renewable energy area. In
Latvia, half of the institutions have such laboratories, and,
in Guatemala, half intend to establish them within the next
two years. No research institutions in Bolivia or Chile have
research laboratories funded by organizations from the
manufacturing sector in the RE area.
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Do you have partnerships with national and international
networks for research on RE?
In all the countries surveyed, at least 60% of the HEIs have
partnerships with national and international networks for
research in renewable energies, except for Brazil, where
only 25% of the institutions have such partnerships, and
more than half do not use them or do not know how to
answer. In Chile, 17% of the organizations have this kind
of partnership.
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Have you registered patents or new technologies?
The registration of patents or new technologies in the RE
field is only observed in the German (60%), Latvian (75%)
and Bolivian (20%) institutions. In Guatemala, 20% of the
institutions plan to do it, but 80% do not know the procedure
or do not use it. The same percentage occurs in Bolivia. In
Brazil and Chil,e none of the institutions are familiar with
or use the patent register in the renewable energy field.
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Do you collaborate in work by project teams that are
separated geographically (“virtual teams”)?
The use of virtual teams in renewable energies is common
only in Germany, Chile and Latvia. In Brazil, Bolivia and
Guatemala, most institutions are not familiar with or do not
use this tool.
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Does your institution have interdisciplinary programmes
on RE?
Interdisciplinary programmes on renewable energies are
provided by most institutions in all the countries in the
survey, but only in Brazil and Chile are they not used in most
teaching institutions. In Chile, only 25% of the HEIs offer
these programmes and the same percentage of institutions
plan to have them implemented in Brazil, where there are
currently no interdisciplinary programmes on RE.
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Do you partake in collaborative work with public and
private organizations?
All of the surveyed institutions in Latvia and Germany
collaborate on work in partnership with private and public
organizations. In the other countries, at least 75% of the
organizations also do this kind of work.
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Do you provide advice and training?
The provision of formal advice and training is common in
the teaching institutions in Chile, Latvia and Guatemala.
In Bolivia, 40% use this practice and 20% plan to introduce
it in the next two years. In Germany, none of the HEIs
are familiar with this kind of practice or utilize it, and in
Brazil, 75% of the institutions responded in the same way
as Germany.
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Do you share expertise from different scientific areas for
knowledge transfer to students and new co-workers?
The sharing of expertise from distinct scientific areas for
knowledge transfer to students and new co-workers is done
in all the teaching institutions surveyed in Latvia and 60%
of the institutions in Guatemala. In Germany and Chile,
half of the institutions do it, while the other half is not
familiar with it or does not do it. In Brazil, once more, most
HEIs state that they do not do it or are not familiar with
such a practice.
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Do you offer scholarships and incentives in the RE area?
In Chile, half of the teaching institutions offer scholarships
and incentives in studies in the RE field. In the other
countries, this result is lower than 40%. In Bolivia, there
is an extreme situation, with none of the Bolivian HEIs
offering scholarships or incentives. In Germany and
Guatemala more than 60% are in the same situation.
In Brazil, 62% of the institutions intend to offer such
incentives within the next two years.
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Do you provide external training to capacitate collaborators,
aiming at updating knowledge resulting from technological
changes in RE?
External training for the capacitation of collaborators,
aiming at updating expertise due to technological changes
in renewable energies is done in at least half of the teaching
institutions in Guatemala, Chile and Latvia, while in Brazil
and Bolivia at least half of the HEIs do not do it or are not
familiar with it. It could be observed that the most common
system used by the institutions is to carry out work in
cooperation with public and/or private organizations. The
scholarship and incentive programmes are the least used by
the teaching institutions from the surveyed countries.
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Do you have policies for renewable energies?
Since before 2007, more than half of the teaching institutions
in Latvia and Bolivia have had policies regarding renewable
energies. In Germany, half of the institutions have had
policies since before that, and in Chile and Guatemala, 25%
and 10% of the institutions respectively have policies.
As from 2007, 50% of the HEIs in Germany started
engaging in renewable energy policies. In Chile this
happened in 25% of the institutions, and in Guatemala, in
30%. In Brazil, there are no teaching institutions that have
followed renewable energy policies before or after 2007.
However, 25% plan to adopt a RE policy within the next
two years.
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Do you have strategies for renewable energies?
There have been strategies for renewable energies since
before 2007 in 75% of the Latvian and German institutions,
and in 80% of the Bolivian ones. In Chile and Guatemala,
25% and 20% of the institutions respectively have had
strategies since before that. Nowadays, all institutions
in Bolivia and Germany have strategies in renewable
energies. In Brazil, 75% of the HEIs state that they do not
use or are not familiar with them.
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Do you apply a policy of values and organizational culture
which promotes RE?
Generally speaking, the most common policy among the
teaching institutions is organizational values and a culture
which promotes renewable energies. At least 50% of the
institutions in Germany, Bolivia, Chile and Latvia adopted
it before 2007. In Guatemala, this percentage falls to 30%,
and 20% began to adopt such a policy after 2007. In Brazil,
none of the institutions had any policy to promote renewable
energies before, but 37% of the institutions adopted one
after 2007.
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Do you use knowledge about RE obtained through other
market sources, such as companies and organizations?
The use of renewable energy expertise obtained through
other market sources, such as enterprises and organizations,
is a common practice in all teaching institutions in Germany,
Bolivia and Chile. In Germany, however, all institutions
have used this method since before 2007, whereas in Bolivia
the percentage is 60%, and in Chile 50% started to use this
knowledge after 2007. In Guatemala, the use of RE knowhow obtained through other market sources is a common
practice. Since before 2007, 75% of the teaching institutions
in Latvia have used that method, and in Brazil the same
percentage ignores or does not use this type of know-how.
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Do you use RE knowledge obtained through research
institutions?
Know-how obtained from research institutions has been
used by all surveyed institutions in Germany and Latvia
since before 2007. In Brazil and Chile, half of the institutions
present the same characteristics, and in Bolivia, the rate is
60%. In Guatemala, only 10% of the HEIs have used this
know-how since before 2007 and from that year on, 40%
started to use it.
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Do you use supply investments to obtain external knowhow in RE?
The investment reserve is not frequent among the surveyed
institutions, although in Latvia, half of the HEIs adopt the
practice. For the other countries, the highest concentration
of responses were “Not currently available” or “Don’t know”.
In Chile, 100% stated that they are not familiar with the
practice.
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Do you use information technology (Internet) to obtain
external knowledge about RE?
Internet is a very popular tool for RE knowledge acquisition
in all surveyed countries. More than 60% use the Internet
for this purpose.
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Do you encourage collaborators to participate in project
teams or conferences with external experts?
The motivation for employees to participate in project teams
with external expertise is common in half of the organizations
in Germany and in Brazil. In Chile, Guatemala and Latvia,
more than 70% use this policy, while the rate for Bolivia is
40%.
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Is there any practice or initiative in RE used by your
university that is not included in the questionnaire?
None of the teaching institutions in Brazil and Latvia use
any other kinds of practices or initiatives in the renewable
energy area other than those mentioned above. In Germany
and Chile, the rate is 75%, and 60% for Guatemala. 80% of
the institutions in Bolivia use other kinds of practices and
initiatives not included in the previous questions.
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In which sector of the RE area does your university conduct
research activities (part 1)?
research activities (part 2)?
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teaching activities (part 1)?
teaching activities (part 2)?
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In Chile and Germany, institutions focus more on the
teaching than research, contrary to what happens in Latvia
and Guatemala. In Brazil and Bolivia, both areas are well
balanced.
Windpower, biofuels and hydropower are the most studied
areas in Chile at the same time as solar thermal energy is
the most researched one.
In Latvia, there is no one sector that is more intensively
researched or taught, and the percentage of responses are
identical in many sectors. Windpower, biogas, geothermal
energy, solar energy and biofuels are researched by half of
the surveyed universities in Latvia. All sectors included in
the survey are taught by 25% of the Latvian universities.
The most intensively taught energy sectors in Bolivia
are: hydropower, geothermal and photovoltaic power. In
research, many sectors are researched by the same amount
of institutions.
Solar thermal energy is the most intensively taught sector in
Guatemala, and the most intensively researched sectors are
biomass and hydropower energies.
In Germany, biofuels and biogas are the sectors with
higher percentages of research institutions. In the field of
teaching, the sectors of windpower, solar thermal energy
and photovoltaic energy are the most intensively explored
by the German institutions.
The dispersion of the sectors is seen in the graph of
responses from the teaching institutions both in research
and in teaching activity. However, attention should also be
given to the biofuels, biogas and hydrogen sectors.
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Does your university have specific programmes/courses in
the RE area?
Does your university have specific programmes/courses in
the RE area?
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Among all the surveyed countries, Brazil is the only country
where most teaching institutions do not have specific courses
in the RE area. In Latvia, there is a 50:50 split between the
HEIs that have and the ones that do not have these courses.
Among the countries where most HEIs have this kind of
programme, there is a predominance of the Bachelor course,
except for Germany, where there are more MSc courses in
the RE area.
Does your university have specific departments or
institutes in the RE area?
In Brazil and Latvia, only half of the HEIs have specific
departments in the renewable energy area. In Chile, none
of the teaching institutions have this kind of department.
In Germany, Bolivia and Guatemala, however, more than
80% of the HEIs have specific departments or institutions
in the RE area.
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What kind of materials does your university produce
concerning RE research/teaching activities?
In Germany, Bolivia and Guatemala, the main materials
produced by the HEIs on renewable energies are materials
for courses. And in Germany and Chile, this type of product,
together with conference documents, are the main products
of the institutions. Brazilian and Latvian HEIs produce
mainly laboratory prototypes and conference documents,
and Latvia also produces, to the same extent, books on
renewable energies.
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Does your university have a specific budget to invest in
renewable energies?
The investment reserve to be used in activities related to
renewable energies is not common in any of the surveyed
countries. In Germany 40% of the HEIs use this strategy.
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Chapter 9 - Conclusions
Market survey
Profiles of the companies surveyed
The research revealed that most of the surveyed companies
operate or intend to operate in the sector of renewable
energy (RE). We draw attention to Germany, where the
majority of the companies plan to work in at least one RE
segment. In Bolivia, most respondents (21.57%) work with
photovoltaic energy, while in Brazil the distribution among
renewable energy sources is more even. In Chile, Germany
and Latvia, the focus is on biomass, whereas in Guatemala
most companies (32%) work with hydropower. Another
interesting point is Germany’s potential in solar energy,
with which 80% of the respondent companies work.
Concerning RE activity, most enterprises in Bolivia, Brazil,
Chile and Germany operate in the planning and project
sectors. The country that stands out is Guatemala, where
many companies work with education and training. It
should also be noted that there are companies working in
research and development in Brazil, Germany and Latvia.
Training and qualification of the labour force
The main goal of this section is to identify, according to
the standpoint of the companies, what kind of labour force
should be present in the labour market.
When Bolivian companies were asked about the qualification
of future employees, the survey revealed that only 3% of
the current staff would meet proposed qualifications. Of
the Bolivian respondents, 47% of them answered that an
insufficient number of potential employees is available;
however, 30% reported sufficient staff availability.
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With respect to the problems faced by companies in
finding and selecting a skilled labour force, 54% of Bolivian
companies said that the main problem is lack of technical
expertise. Only 2% answered that they face no problems
in finding appropriate candidates. When asked about the
future trends in contracting new employees, 53% of the
Bolivian companies said that such problems will remain
constant.
In Brazil, as in the other countries involved, most companies
want to participate in the RE market. Concerning staff
availability in the labour market, 73.3% of the companies
in Brazil answered that availability is scarce. None of the
companies said that it is easy to find skilled workers in the
labour market, which means that there is a wide gap between
what is offered in the labour market and the requirements
of the companies.
As for the difficulties that companies face in finding
prepared workers in the labour market, 32% said that there
is lack of technically skilled personnel. Another 32% said
that they find people without multidisciplinary skills.
In terms of near-future labour force hiring trends in Brazil,
73.3% of the firms said that there is a positive trend,
corroborating the view that it is one of the main sources of
RE on the planet.
In Chile, 33% of the interviewed companies answered that
skilled personnel are scarce and other 33% said that skilled
workers are lacking in the labour market. When asked
about problems faced in finding specialized employees in
the labour market, 50% answered that there are not enough
applicants. 33% said that the main problem is the level of
technical expertise desired.
Concerning future trends, 42% of the companies said that
the hiring trend is positive, and another 42% answered
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that it will remain constant. This shows the complexity of
establishing a hiring trend for the RE market in Chile.
In Germany, only 10% of the interviewed companies
answered that skilled staff is available to a satisfactory extent
in the labour market; 50% said that staff is scarcely available,
and 40% said that employees are lacking.
With respect to problems that German companies face
when selecting skilled workers, 36.3% of the firms said that
there is a need for specialized technical qualifications; 26.3%
responded that there are not enough applicants, and another
26.3% said that applicants do not have multidisciplinary
qualifications.
Concerning future hiring trends, only 36% of German
firms said that there is a positive trend in the near future,
possibly due to the global economic crisis of 2008–2009.
Nevertheless, the responses were more positive when
companies were asked about the long term.
In Guatemala, 48% of the interviewed companies answered
that skilled staff is scarce in the labour market, and 36%
of them said staff (of any kind) is scarcely available in the
market, which means that companies have great difficulties
in finding qualified workers.
Regarding the problems that Guatemalan companies find in
selecting appropriate employees, 83% stated that candidates
do not have specialized technical qualifications or that there
are not enough applicants.
Concerning future hiring trends, 94% of the companies
answered that they will hire personnel in the area, both in
the short and long term.
In Latvia, 46% of the interviewed companies answered that
qualified staff is sufficiently available in the labour market,
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with 18% responding that staff is readily available in the
market. On the other hand, 36% of them find that skilled
staff is insufficiently or scarcely available.
Contrary to other countries, 62% of the Latvian companies
said that they have no problems in finding and selecting
new employees. 30% of them said that candidates do not
have specialized technical qualifications or multidisciplinary
skills. Concerning future trends, only 25% of the companies
responded that they will hire more people over the next two
years. As in Germany, this number increases in the long
term. Again, this could be due to the consequences of the
economic crisis in Europe.
Qualification requirements and market needs
In Bolivia, concerning further training opportunities, 27%
of the companies said that they need on-the-job coaching
and training, while 28% answered that they need external
training at universities and long-term external education.
With respect to new qualifications in the Bolivian RE
market, 45% of the companies said that their employees
need new specialized qualifications and 33% said that their
employees need to enhance their existing basic qualifications.
Concerning the stimuli for new qualifications in the RE
field, 26% of Bolivian firms said that the main driver
was product innovation. To 25%, market needs were
considered important drivers, while process innovations and
government policies were also quoted.
In Bolivia, 97% of the firms want to have more partnerships
with the universities, especially in developing additional
qualifications to complement initial vocational education.
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Of the firms interviewed in Brazil, 24.2% said that they
want on-the-job coaching and training; however, it is
important to mention that all kinds of training were quoted
as necessary by these companies.
With respect to future training, 42% of the firms want to
enhance their employees’ qualifications, while 29% want to
develop new types of skills.
To 22% of Brazilian companies, the main driver for new
RE qualifications was governmental policies. Process and
product innovations were also reported as drivers of new
qualifications.
86% of these firms want to have closer partnership with
the universities, especially in developing additional
In Chile, 50% of the organizations plan to give their
employees opportunities to achieve new qualifications in the
RE field, especially through coaching, in-company training
and in-house training with external support.
92% of Chilean companies want to develop new qualifications
for their employees in the RE field. Concerning drivers of
new qualifications, the most quoted was modification to the
legal framework. However, innovation and governmental
policies were also reported as important in this process.
Moreover, 83% of the firms want to develop courses and
new qualification programmes through the universities.
Concerning further training opportunities in Germany, 55%
of the companies responded that they need more training,
either external or in-house coaching, while 28% answered
that they want external training at universities and longterm external education.
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With respect to new qualifications in the German RE market,
38% of the companies said that their employees need new
specialized qualifications, with 29% reporting the need for
their employees to enhance their existing basic qualifications.
Concerning drivers of new qualifications in the RE field
in Germany, 28% of the firms said that process innovation
stands out. Nevertheless, product innovation and
government policies were also reported to play a key role as
drivers of new qualifications.
The desire for greater partnership with universities was
quoted by 83.3% of these companies, especially for
developing additional qualifications to complement initial
vocational education.
In Guatemala, concerning further training opportunities,
33% of the companies said that they need coaching and
training on the job, while 51% answered that they would
like external training at universities and long-term external
education.
With respect to new qualifications in the Guatemalan RE
market, 59% of the companies stated that their employees
need new specialized qualifications, while 34% said that
their employees need to enhance their existing basic
qualifications.
Concerning drivers of new qualifications in the RE field,
30% of the companies affirmed that the main driver was
process innovation. Other important drivers mentioned
were government policies and product innovations.
94% of Guatemalan firms want to improve their partnership
with the universities, especially in developing additional
264
In Latvia, 37% of the surveyed companies stated that there
is no need for further training opportunities. 21% said that
it is important to have coaching and on-the-job learning.
10/10/21 09:45
With respect to new qualifications in the RE market,
38% stated that their employees need to enhance basic
qualifications. Only 28% said that employees need new
qualifications, while another 28% said that their staff needs
multidisciplinary qualifications.
As for drivers of new qualifications in the RE field, 26%
of the companies said that the main driver is modification
to the legal framework, while 38% stated that the most
important driver is either process or product innovation.
93% of Latvian companies want to improve their partnership
with the universities, especially in the development of new
courses in the RE field. The main priority for 82% was to
develop courses that add qualifications to complement
initial vocational education.
The role of Higher Education Institutions
Regarding this topic, the surveyed companies responded
regarding their expectations in relation to the role of the
universities in the RE field. The companies from the six
countries involved stated that they want mainly educational
and capacity-building programmes created at universities,
and on a smaller scale, research and development.
According to the responses collected, Chile showed the
highest interest in partnerships with HEIs, since the
companies’ demands range from basic innovations to
research and development.
Concerning the relationship between HEIs and the RE
sector, the answers varied. While in Bolivia, Chile and
Guatemala, most of those interviewed consider that
companies had fallen behind market needs, in Germany the
rate was 50%. In Brazil, 53% believed that companies have
fallen behind the market. Only Brazil and Guatemala had
respondents who stated that the companies are ahead of the
renewable energy market.
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Analysis of the benchmarking survey
Renewable energy in universities
Five HEIs in Germany responded to the survey, five in
Bolivia, four in Brazil, seven in Chile, four in Guatemala and
four in Latvia. Both traditional institutions and institutions
of applied sciences were among the respondents.
The results of this survey revealed that most of the HEIs
involved that were developing research in RE before 2007
have undertaken research projects using foreign investments,
and they have partnerships with national and international
networks, including laboratories sponsored by companies.
With respect to research, we call attention to the following
aspects:

collaborative work carried out by physically
separated university teams (virtual groups) has
been widely used in Germany since 2007, where
no formal mentoring practice has been verified;
in Brazil, 12.5% of universities and departments
that had been working in RE before 2007
participated in graduate programmes and research
projects with foreign support, in addition to work
with laboratories sponsored by companies. For
institutions that have started to work with RE since
2007, 62.5% have done so through laboratories,
since they participate in national and international
RE research networks;
in Bolivia, many universities were offering
undergraduate and postgraduate programmes on
topics linked to renewable energy before 2007. On
the other hand, most of them do not have research
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programmes with external sponsoring in the field,
showing a gap in the technological development
chain. Most RE activities financed by external
capital are in rural areas. Although there is lowcost technological transference, most are already
outdated;

in Chile, 25% of the external funds assigned to
RE research projects have been scheduled to be
used within the next two years, and the remaining
75% have not yet been clearly scheduled. 100% of
the respondents are not sure whether the research
laboratories are likely to be sponsored by external
cooperative organizations; and
in Guatemala, almost 60% of the RE programmes
were established due to oil prices in 2007, and are
linked to national and international networks.
Almost all HEIs involved have been using information
technology (Internet) to obtain foreign knowledge about
RE since 2007.
The present survey showed that, in almost all of the
universities involved in RE projects, the main means of
development is joint work with public and/or private
organizations, and the utilization of experts from different
scientific areas for knowledge transference to recent students
and collaborators.
HEI research/teaching activities in RE sectors
This portion of the survey showed great diversification
among the HEIs concerning research and educational
practices. The most significant point from each country
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involved illustrates this:

in Germany, windpower is the least researched
area. Among the RE technologies, biomass is
the most investigated. Research is concentrated
on all bioenergy areas as well as on geothermal
technology. As far as education is concerned, wind
energy, photovoltaic and solar energy are the most
studied, followed by hydropower and hydrogen/
fuel cells;
in Bolivia, RE education prevails over the research
activities in all the investigated HEI, focusing
on hydroelectric, solar and photovoltaic energy
sectors, followed by wind and biogas power.
Research about geothermal energy and hydrogen/
fuel cells was not observed;
historically, Brazilian electrical energy production
has been based on hydropower generated by
dams. Research and education in this area is an
international highlight, but because only one HEI
that participated in the survey has been involved
in this work, the percentage was low (12%). In
relation to other RE modalities, emphasis is given
to biomass-generated energy, especially from
sugarcane, which has not been discussed here. The
HEIs involved in this study concentrates more
on biogas and hydrogen/fuel cell research (20%
each), with no related educational activity at the
undergraduate or postgraduate level;
it is important to observe that, in Chile, 75% of
the participating HEIs have both research and
educational activities about windpower. The other
25% focus on education;
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in Guatemala, the two main areas of research are
biomass and hydroelectricity, with 27% of the HEIs
involved. No investigation into solar, photovoltaic
and hydrogen/fuel cell energy was registered.
Regarding education, the most significant RE
modalities were hydroelectricity and geothermal
power, with 14.55% of the participating HEIs
involved; and
in Latvia, no research was registered among
the HEIs about energy from photovoltaics and
hydrogen/fuel cells. In education, no activity was
found regarding hydroelectricity.
Programmes/specific university courses in renewable energy
This survey demonstrated that most of the participating
universities have at least one specific programme or course
on renewable energy, in the following proportions:

Germany (80%);

Bolivia (100%);

Brazil (25%);

Chile (75%);

Guatemala (90%);

and Latvia (50%).
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Research about university staff
Respondents’ profile
Teachers and researchers from the surveyed universities
were the most representative sample from the six countries
involved.
The study revealed that, in the six countries, most of the
respondents are involved or intend to get involved in RE.
In Brazil, for example, 75% of the respondents said they
were somewhat involved in the RE value chain, whereas
in Germany 76% were, followed by similar numbers in
Chile, Guatemala, Latvia and Bolivia. In the six countries
questioned, the interviewees showed very similar interests
regarding the kinds of renewable energy in which they act
or would like to act upon. Three areas in particular stood
out in five countries: windpower, photovoltaic solar energy
and bioenergy. In Guatemala, the highlight was hydropower.
Other kinds of renewable energy were less frequent, such as
hydrogen/fuel cell and geothermal energy.
Capacity building in renewable energy
Most of the respondents from the six countries showed
some interest in RE capacity building: developing their
present competence as well as acquiring new competence in
the field. For example, in Brazil 87.5% of those interviewed
e.g., Germany,
said they were interested in being trained in RE, with
82.4%; Chile,
emphasis ranging from basic and advanced concept
75%; and
training to application and development of RE. The same
Guatemala, 85% trend was noticed in the other countries. Other specific
requirements quoted by the participants were training in
the socio-political framework, waste energy technology and
possibilities for connecting RE to the existing grid.
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The survey also demonstrated the participating faculty’s
interest in curriculum development training, focusing on
various aspects such as graduate MSc work in renewable
energy (Germany) and international cooperation
programmes (Chile). Brazil, however, remained mostly
focused on seminars, congresses, events, and courses of
short duration.
Generally, we can affirm that the respondents in the six
countries confirmed their need to improve technical and
operational knowledge in teaching, research and extension
areas related to RE.
Infrastructure and laboratories
Concerning infrastructure for RE research, the respondents
in all six countries observed the need for substantial
improvements in laboratories, equipment and database
access. They similarly pointed out, with only a slight
percentage of variation, the necessity to participate in
scientific events and social networking in the RE field.
University/market relationship
In relation to the university/RE market relationship, most
of those interviewed observed a wide gap between the needs
of industry and the market in general and attributed this to
the three focus areas offered by the universities: teaching,
research and extension. 100% of the respondents in Brazil,
for example, understand that there is either a need or an
urgent need for greater interaction between the industry/
market and the universities. In Germany 64% agreed, in
Bolivia 93% and in Chile, 75%. The trend is the same for
the other countries.
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Reinforcement of RE in universities
Regarding the need for RE investment/reinforcement in
universities, most respondents answered positively to almost
all proposed initiatives, as follows:
When asked if academic programmes impact the market,
most answered positively: in Germany, 80.95% stated that
they have a very important effect or that there is a great
necessity for more of such programmes; in Chile the
percentage fell to 75%, in Bolivia it was 77.78%, and it was
100% in Brazil.
With respect to the need for collaboration programs
between universities and the market, the respondents
followed the same trend: 85.72% answered positively in
Germany, 77.78% in Bolivia, 100% in Brazil, and 75% in
Chile.
Regarding the need for partnerships between universities
and the market for the promotion of RE, 88.88% of the
researchers in Bolivia answered positively, and the same
trend was seen in the other countries: Brazil, 100%
Germany, 85.71%; and Chile, 75%.
Moreover, most respondents agreed that market-sponsored
applied technological research is very important as an RE
reinforcement measure in universities: 85.72% in Germany;
100% in Brazil; 63%, in Chile; and 77.78% in Bolivia.
Participants also answered positively that applied research
financed by the government would be helpful to reinforce
RE in the universities involved: 85.71% in Germany; 63%
in Chile; 100% in Brazil; and 77.78% in Bolivia.
272
Concerning the RE qualification programmes offered by
companies to university students, many respondents in all
six countries understood that it is a must, or at least very
important: Brazil, 100%; Chile, 50%; Germany, 45%; and
Bolivia, 88.88%.
10/10/21 09:45
When respondents were questioned if, due to technological
changes and the socio-economic environment, continuous
human resources monitoring would reinforce the issue of
RE in universities, the respondents gave positive feedback:
Brazil, 100%; Chile, 38%; Germany 76.19%; and Bolivia,
77.78%.
Conclusions and recommendations
These three studies, simultaneously conducted in six
countries, enabled all the investigators involved to
experience an atmosphere of transnational cooperation and
a favourable attitude towards greater cultural and technical
knowledge exchange on RE.
The surveys enabled researchers to rank the HEIs in relation
to the RE market from the standpoint of the enterprises. It
was observed that, regarding this aspect, there were more
similarities than differences between the six countries
involved.
The survey disclosed some extremely important points:

most participating companies already operate or
intend to operate in the RE sector;
most companies in the six countries involved stated
that candidates for vacancies in RE positions are not
prepared for the market, which means that there is
a need for additional qualification programmes;
all additional training methods, therefore, are
acceptable to the companies, including: companydesigned courses, university postgraduate courses,
and specialization courses. This allows a broad
range of research and teaching options for
universities; and
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with few exceptions, the companies stated that the
universities are behind the RE market curve.
The second study, which was about benchmarking, attempted
to rank the HEIs in relation to RE, allowing in-segment
analysis at different interaction levels. The results clearly
presented the differences between the countries involved as
well as the fact of the irreversibility of RE in both research
and teaching.
The survey also revealed some other very important points:

most HEIs are not tuned in to the technological
demands of the RE market, despite presenting
research projects sponsored by external investment;
and
most HEIs do not have budget planning for the
development of teaching and research in RE,
which means that there is no sustainability for
those processes.
In an atypical approach, the benchmarking analysis research
carried out in Guatemala produced a chart in which the
same kind of problem faced by several countries in relation
to RE development can be described as follows:

the technology is inappropriate;

there is little government support;

there are environmental and social restrictions;

there is no skilled workforce;

the population is poorly informed about RE; and

RE costs are high.
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As we can see, on one hand, government action together
with an energy policy that increases investments in the RE
field is imperative. On the other, it is recommended that
HEIs develop courses and carry out research in the sector.
Such actions should help meet popular expectations and
hopes for a sustainable planet.
The surveys of university staff brought out important data
indicating that, although there is a gap between market
needs and the services offered by the university, there is a
growing conscience in the institutions about the procedures
needed to steadily decrease this distance. The investigation
also unveils an urgent need for a broader restructuring in the
academy, following the evolution of the market demands
with interdisciplinary professionals who are able to design,
operate and manage the new technologies in the RE field.
Another important finding from the research is that,
although there are different stages of development for RE
in the investigated countries, the demands and gaps seem to
be very similar. The analysis showed that there are common
internal university demands in terms of enabling a better
response to the market, not only in infrastructure but also
in faculty and staff training and qualification.
Furthermore, the analysis carried out by partners of the
JELARE project also showed the need for better integration
with industry in various fields and activities related to RE,
for example in applied research sponsored by industry, as
well as courses, seminars and internship offers for university
students.
The study also revealed that the staff of the universities
involved believe that there must be government financial
support for RE research, together with a constant monitoring
of professional trends and market needs.
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Thus, it can be concluded that the staff of the universities
involved are conscious of the discrepancy between market
reality and academia. This consciousness is manifested in
current proposals to decrease the existing gap through
substantial investments in human resources and in teaching
and researching infrastructure in the field of RE.
Thus, based on a transversal and transnational analysis of
the surveys carried out by the universities participating
in the JELARE partnership, the following actions are
recommended:

the promotion of greater integration between
university and market through specific actions
such as products and services that meet market
demands in terms of RE;
giving a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary
dimension to the topic of RE in universities so as
to offer a holistic approach which integrates the
processes of teaching, research and extension and
which must be accountable to market needs;
the allocation of higher investment in university
staff qualification for the development of new
products and services aimed at meeting RE market
needs;
investment in the creation of infrastructure for
teaching and researching that suits the present RE
demands;
the development of alliances and partnerships with
enterprises from private and public RE sectors;
the development of national and transnational pilot
programmes for the expansion of new teaching
modalities in RE; and
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the creation of a multidisciplinary forum in
universities to promote debate about RE in all
sectors and departments, with the objective of
developing an integrated institutional vision about
the topic.
These actions, along with other institutional initiatives, may
help reduce the gaps that this study unmistakably disclosed
in all six countries investigated. The results also pointed out
that, regardless of the varying degrees of RE technological
development in the studied countries, the gaps are very similar
when the relationship “university X market” is discussed. This
situation demands immediate action mainly on the university
side, so as to follow market trends in the field.
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