Impact Evaluation of Chile's Distributed Generation

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dc.catalogadorgjm
dc.contributor.advisorMontero Ayala, Juan Pablo
dc.contributor.advisorGonzález Lira, Andrés
dc.contributor.authorZamora Águila, Agustín Andrés
dc.contributor.otherPontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Instituto de Economía
dc.date.accessioned2026-01-14T16:57:03Z
dc.date.available2026-01-14T16:57:03Z
dc.date.issued2026
dc.date.updated2026-01-12T16:28:35Z
dc.descriptionTesis (Magíster en Economía)--Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 2026.
dc.description.abstractThis thesis evaluates the systemic impacts of Distributed Generation (DG) on the Chilean electricity market, specifically focusing on Small Means of Distributed Generation (PMGD) solar plants located near consumption centers. Leveraging a structural cost-minimization dispatch model adapted from Gonzales, Ito and Reguant (2023), I simulate market outcomes under five counterfactual scenarios of DG penetration across periods of varying transmission capacity (2017-2019). The results demonstrate that PMGD acts as a potent demand contraction mechanism, reducing average spot prices by up to 4.4% in high-penetration scenarios and displacing significant thermal and natural gas generation, yielding estimated annual environmental savings of up to USD 47 million (2019 values) and generation savings of up to USD 117 million (2019 values). Crucially, I find that DG does not monotonically alleviate grid stress; rather, it reallocates congestion. While PMGD decompresses major north-south transmission arteries, it increases bottlenecks in specific central lines during periods of constrained transmission capacity. Furthermore, the analysis uncovers evidence of renewable cannibalization, where high PMGD levels displace utility-scale solar generation in the absence of robust market integration. These findings suggest that while DG offers clear decarbonization and cost-reduction benefits, it introduces complex redistributive effects on transmission flows and incumbent renewable generators.
dc.fechaingreso.objetodigital2026-01-14
dc.format.extent59 páginas
dc.fuente.origenAutoarchivo
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorio.uc.cl/handle/11534/107695
dc.information.autorucInstituto de Economía; Montero Ayala, Juan Pablo; 0000-0002-6815-0158; 87534
dc.information.autorucFacultad de Economía y Administración; González Lira, Andrés; S/I; 170790
dc.information.autorucFacultad de Economía y Administración; Zamora Águila, Agustín Andrés; S/I; 1133826
dc.language.isoen
dc.nota.accesocontenido completo
dc.rightsacceso abierto
dc.rights.licenseAtribución 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0)
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es
dc.subject.ddc330
dc.subject.ods07 Affordable and clean energy
dc.subject.odspa07 Energía asequible y no contaminante
dc.tipo.dtdInvestigación comparativa / correlacional
dc.titleImpact Evaluation of Chile's Distributed Generation
dc.typetesis de maestría
sipa.codpersvinculados87534
sipa.codpersvinculados170790
sipa.codpersvinculados1133826
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