Energy development in Spain and Uruguay: 1860-2000

Abstract

This article compares and contrasts the evolution of multiple indicators of primary energy consumption in Spain and Uruguay. These two economies followed different development paths and endure dissimilar energy transitions over the 20th century. The objective is to offer empirical evidence about some aspects of energy consumption in both countries and the handicap that a limited supply of energy may impose to economic development, in the hope that the differences and similarities between these two cases would allow posing better questions and new hypothesis regarding the long term interactions between energy consumption and economic progress.