Challenges for a sustainable energy transition in rural Mexico: A 37-year comparative analysis for Cheranatzicurin Village

This study presents a comprehensive follow-up assessment of energy and exergy consumption changes in a Purépecha rural community in central Mexico for the year 2023, comparing the results with two previous studies conducted in 1986 and 2012. The case study contributes to the academic debate on the socio-environmental implications of rural energy modernization by integrating thermodynamic constraints—dimensions often overlooked in conventional economic or policy models. Energy use is disaggregated by end-use application, sector, and energy carrier, drawing on a robust mixed-methods dataset that includes structured interviews, household surveys, direct measurements, drone imagery, and detailed energy inventories.

Key findings include: (a) a marked increase in fossil fuel dependence—particularly gasoline in the transport sector—with LPG, gasoline, and diesel now accounting for nearly half (44 %) of total energy consumption, compared to less than 10 % in 1986; (b) a 35 % increase in per capita energy demand (from 11 to 17 GJ/capita-year) despite end-use efficiency improvements, driven by the expansion of energy-intensive services such as refrigeration and private mobility, and accompanied by a decline in external system efficiency from 92 % to 77 %; (c) the persistent dominance of biomass, with 95 % of households still using firewood for cooking, underscoring the coexistence of modern and traditional energy practices; and (d) a persistently low overall second-law efficiency for the village, increasing only from 8 % in 1986 to 13 % in 2023.

These findings challenge the dominant narrative of a linear rural energy transition—defined as a systematic shift from traditional to modern, cleaner, and more efficient technologies—revealing instead a non-linear, multidimensional process marked by technological hybridization, uneven adoption rates, and socially differentiated impacts.