The recognition of the relevance of energy, especially of the renewable energies generated by the sun, water, wind, tides, modern biomass or thermal is growing significantly in the global society based on the possibility it has to improve societies' quality of life, to support poverty reduction and sustainable development. Renewable energy, and mainly the energy generated by large hydropower generation projects that supply most of the renewable energy consumed by developing countries, requires many technical, legal, financial and social complex processes sustained by innovations and valuable knowledge. Besides these efforts, renewable energy requires a solid infrastructure to generate and distribute the energy resources needed to solve the basic needs of society. This demands a proper construction performance to deliver the energy projects planned according to specifications and respecting environmental and social concerns, which implies the observance of sustainable construction guidelines. But construction projects are complex and demanding and frequently face time and cost overruns that may cause negative impacts on the initial planning and thus on society. The renewable energy issue and the large renewable energy power generation and distribution projects are particularly significant for developing countries and for Latin America in particular, as this region concentrates an important hydropower potential and installed capacity. Using as references the performance of Venezuelan large hydropower generation projects and the Guri dam construction, this research evaluates the tight relationship existing between sustainable construction and knowledge management and their impact to achieve sustainability goals. The knowledge management processes are proposed as a basic strategy to allow learning from successes and failures obtained in previous projects and transform the enhancement opportunites into actions to improve the performance of the renewable energy power generation and distribution projects.

Modern society is aware of the importance of energy, as a fundamental resource for evolution, quality of life and sustainability. It thus dedicates important efforts to take advantage of existing energy sources. Countries have different and unique energy performances depending on the combination of resources, policies, and structures created to exploit them. Some are successful in their attempt to optimize their energy resources while others are not. This is the case of Venezuela, which faces a contradictory energy performance. Despite its substantial available renewable and non-renewable energy resources, it presents a severe energy crisis. This crisis manifests itself in frequent and extended energy blackouts and electricity services alterations, which affect all society. With the aim to propose some solutions, the authors make an attempt to identify the origin of the Venezuelan energy crisis, unexplainable in a country which two decades ago was an indisputable world energy leader. The authors evaluate the relationship among energy and sustainability, the renewable potential existing in Venezuela, as well as some new data and key insights regarding its energy framework. Special reference is made to infrastructure energy projects in Venezuela. The discussion leads to the identification of the structural problems that cause such a crisis and include some recommendations. The authors propose a thorough study of this case in order to consider it as an international reference and to avoid the repetition of similar cases in the future. Finally, an entirely new orientation of the Venezuelan energy framework and the strategies that include the revision of the current energy policies and the management of this sector are proposed. Such proposals are presented to help Venezuela in its transition to a new energy stage in which renewable energy, knowledge and sustainable criteria become the fundamental resources to address the country on its path to sustainability.

ResumenEl propósito de este artículo es explorar el proceso de gestión del conocimiento en la industria de la construcción, mediante los siguientes objetivos específicos: identificar el acceso del conocimiento a través del ámbito externo, interno e individual, conocer las herramientas utilizadas e identificar la plataforma sobre la cual se apoya y ejecuta la gestión del conocimiento en la empresa. La metodología utilizada es de tipo descriptiva, apoyada en la revisión documental de las teorías en el área, complementado con la aplicación de una encuesta y de entrevistas al personal de la organización. Los resultados obtenidos evidencian que en el caso estudiado de la industria de la construcción, la gestión del conocimiento forma parte del plan estratégico de la empresa, con miras a preservar y aprovechar los mismos; sin embargo, se carece de herramientas específicas y aplicaciones computarizadas especializadas para apoyar la elaboración de modelos de gestión del conocimiento. Con base en estos resultados, se recomienda formular estrategias y políticas de acción que permitan el desarrollo del modelo en beneficio del negocio, en términos de un mayor valor agregado, incremento de la competitividad y por ende, el fortalecimiento de la industria en el mercado nacional así como su incursión en mercados internacionales. Palabras clave:Gestión del conocimiento, PyME, valor agregado, competitividad, industria de la construcción. AbstractThe purpose of this article is to explore the knowledge management process in the construction industry using the following specific objectives: identifying access to knowledge through external, internal and individual environments, knowing the tools used and identifying the platform on which the businesss knowledge management is supported and carried out. The methodology used is of a descriptive type, supported by a documentary review of theories in the area, complemented by the application of a survey and interviews of the organizations personnel. Results show that in the case studied in the construction industry, knowledge management is a part of the companys strategic plan, with an eye to preserving and taking advantage of it; however, it lacks specific tools and specialized computer applications for supporting the development of knowledge management models. Based on these results, the study recommends formulating action strategies and policies for developing a model to benefit the business in terms of greater added value, increasing its competitiveness and therefore, strengthening the industry in the national market as well as its entry into international markets.