Analysis of Public Policies for the adoption of Non-Conventional Renewable Energies in Colombia

Abstract

The reactivation of industrial activity to recover the post-Covid-19 economy is expected to cause an increase in greenhouse gases because of the use of non-renewable natural resources such as coal, oil, and natural gas. In Colombia, however, the energy matrix has maintained a relatively constant proportion of installed capacity, favoring energy produced from hydroelectric sources (68% of energy from hydroelectric plants, 31% from thermoelectric plants, and 1% from wind and solar energy). Considering the country's potential for the development of non-conventional renewable energies, this research seeks to review current public policies for the adoption and promotion of these forms of energy as part of the energy transition towards energy sources that further minimize the contributions of Colombia to climate change. A documentary and descriptive research was carried out based on the information available in academic and institutional sources reviewed between 2014 and 2022. The results indicate that Colombia has an important regulatory legal framework that begins with Law 1715 of 2014, evolving until the present with the contributions of the regulations generated by the Energy and Gas Regulation Commission (CREG) and the Energy Mining Planning Unit (UPME), among others. As of 2019, decrees or laws have been generated to improve incentives and facilitate the establishment of projects to generate non-conventional renewable energy sources.