Energy Transition in Isolated Communities of the Brazilian Amazon

In the Brazilian Amazon, rural isolated communities often rely on intermittent, costly and polluting non-renewable decentralised solutions to satisfy their energy needs. Sustainable Development Goal N7 aims to set new paradigms in the transition from non-renewable energy systems to renewable and sustainable decentralised solutions. In this context, solar PV solutions are seen as the most apt technology to address energy transition in rural isolated communities. This chapter explores the effectiveness of the “shift” from mini-diesel generators to solar PV mini-grid in the long term in rural isolated communities, through the lens of a socio-cultural approach to energy studies. Methodologically, this chapter uses ethnographical techniques to address the challenges of energy transition in the Brazilian Amazon from an end-user perspective. Findings suggest that current models of energy transition with renewable decentralised solutions in the regions only address basic energy needs and are not planned to last in the long-run because of economic and socio-cultural reasons.