Abstract

Addressing climate change is one of the main challenges of twenty-first-century societies. In this context, the energy sector can contribute significantly to the reduction of anthropogenic emissions. Thus, global policies have focused on energy efficiency and the transition to non-conventional renewable energy sources. Still, unfortunately, these topics are often undeveloped and unstudied in countries of the Global South. In a tentative to fill this gap, this article focuses on the transition of the Chilean and Brazilian electrical systems. Notably, both countries have historically used hydro- and thermoelectricity as their predominant energy sources but introducing new resources in the latest years. Thus, this work aimed to analyze the creation and articulation of specific political-institutional arrangements to promote the energy matrix diversification from the beginning of this century and their possible effects on the energy transition process. Despite differences in their paths, the cases analyzed present common elements, such as the crises as triggers and the implementation of energy policy packages since the 2000s decade. Discussion The complexity of the current scenario stimulated by environmental and social demands requires increasingly comprehensive energy sustainable policies. Long-term energy policies and the design of State plans are pivotal to sustainable resources management, considering the vulnerability of electrical systems in the face of climate change. In this matter, new socio-political arrangements and broad citizen participation are essential.