Talk: Sustainability and Sociotechnical Transitions to Reimagine the Future
April 15, 2025 The planetary polycrisis—ecological, economic, and geopolitical—requires sociotechnical transitions that integrate innovation, institutions, and cultural changes. Current policies are insufficient at both the global and local levels, and technological developments can deepen conditions of inequality. In this context, three key areas need to be developed: transformative resilience to move from incremental adaptation to structural change; multilevel governance and justice to align financing and…
Lights on the blackouts
April 10, 2025 Experts discuss the causes behind large-scale power outages, the existing gaps to prevent them, and, if they occur, how to quickly restore electricity. Multiple emotional states ran through the eight million Chileans who, on February 25, starting at 3:16 p.m., were affected by an unexpected and widespread power outage—both in terms of surface (from the regions of Arica and Parinacota to Los…
Technological development in wind farms: Bursts of innovation
April 10, 2025 In the old windmills, used for centuries to grind grain or pump water, lies the genesis of modern wind turbines. As highlighted in an article by Endesa, the transition from the former to the latter began at the end of the 19th century, when the industrial revolution and advances in electrical engineering enabled new developments. From that stage to the present, the…
Academics from the UAI Faculty of Engineering and Sciences lead a battery reuse project.
January 29, 2025 A team of academics from the School of Engineering and Sciences, composed of Professors Carlos Silva, Bernardo Severino, Luis Gutiérrez, and Felipe Larraín, has been awarded a grant in the first call of CORFO’s “R&D Challenges” program. This initiative is in collaboration with the Atamos Tec Corporation, the University of Nottingham, the French Research and Development Institute CEA Liten, and the University…
The urgent need to meet an unstoppable demand
April 3, 2025 The increase in energy demand and its cost has grown by about 20% over the past ten years, and this fact is relevant in a market such as mining. In the coming years, there will necessarily be a strong introduction of new energy sources, based on energy efficiency as a basic principle. About this present and future, we spoke with representatives from…
Energy transition expert talks hydrogen investment, project permitting, Trump fallout
April 1st, 2025 Like Chile, Canada is aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. One target of both countries is the power generation sector. Canada gets around 85% of its electricity from renewable and non-emitting sources. Chile is not too far behind, following heavy investment, at about 65%. To achieve targets in the electric power sector and beyond, both countries have some distance to travel. Along…
Three pillars to help industry advance in building circular economy strategies
March 25, 2025 Pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss form the triple planetary crisis, threatening humanity’s chances of a sustainable future. In this context, manufacturing industries urgently need to transform their production processes, abandoning the linear approach of extracting resources to make products that typically end up as waste. Unfortunately, this ideal is far from reality: according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),…
Energy security: How is Chile preparing for blackouts?
March 24, 2025 Regarding the massive blackout that left 95% of the population without power for several hours on Tuesday, February 25, Rodrigo Barraza, an expert in microgrid systems and energy management, spoke about the causes and possible solutions to a phenomenon of such magnitude. See interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHqX0YyI_hI
The boom in energy storage projects in the area
March 17, 2025 Chile is experiencing remarkable growth in energy storage projects, mainly through BESS (lithium-ion battery) systems, both in operation and at various stages of development. As of the end of January 2025, according to data from the Ministry of Energy, the total net installed capacity reached 886 MW/3,318 MWh, distributed across 21 projects, mainly concentrated in the Antofagasta Region. These projects include…
New Cycle of Transdisciplinary Dialogues on Sustainability – UAI
March 17, 2025 ? Climate change demands a sustainable transformation of energy systems. In this talk, we will discuss the role of green hydrogen, the social acceptance of new infrastructure, and the geopolitical impacts and constraints of the transition, using examples from Canada and around the world. Link to presentation: Ian Rowlands: Enfoque sistémico para las transiciones energéticas