Socio-technical analysis of the electricity sector of Mexico: Its historical evolution and implications for a transition towards low-carbon development

The electricity sector of Mexico has been found itself in continuous transitions since its beginning in the 19th century. However, the historical reform to the sector that recently took place together with new energy market configurations around the globe may pose an important challenge to transitioning towards a low-carbon sector. The work presented here was aimed at understanding in a qualitative manner the complex interactions between the main social, technical and environmental aspects that have guided the sector in the past, their influence on the current structure and its future development, through the application of the multi-level perspective (MLP) with a governance and agency perspective. Additionally the work tried to elucidate the implications of the incumbent position of the natural gas industry and the possibilities for low-carbon technologies. The conclusions remark the importance of previous sector configurations in the present structure; the important role of government in promoting low-carbon technologies together with investment by market actors; and the possible window of opportunity that the natural gas industry in Mexico may provide to low-carbon energy technologies. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.