Latin America needs more hydropower. Is there a way to get them right? At the IDB, we are always searching for lessons learned that can help us do better and more sustainable projects. The 456MW Chaglla Hydroelectric Project on the Huallaga River in Huánuco, Perú – of the Empresa de Generación Huallaga, a subsidiary of the Odebrecht Group – provides a number of lessons … [Read more...] about Is there such a thing as the “perfect” hydropower dam?
Geothermal Energy and Fuel Prices: Time to Seize the Moment
When the price of oil drops, there are winners and losers. People tend to think that all types of renewable energy lose out to cheap oil, but that is not the case. One renewable source that wins is geothermal. Countries along Latin America’s Pacific Coast and in the Caribbean have significant geothermal resources; however, these have been underexploited. It is estimated that … [Read more...] about Geothermal Energy and Fuel Prices: Time to Seize the Moment
We have the winners of our bloggers contest!
The time to publish the results of our contest for bloggers has finally arrived! After much deliberation, the jury has decided on a winning entry from Bolivia: Climate change and the current bias, by Johan Yugar. We would like to congratulate the auhor, who will receive his GoPro camera in January 2015, and whose post will be published in this blog on January 8th. We would … [Read more...] about We have the winners of our bloggers contest!
Democratizing energy in Latin America and the Caribbean one step at a time
*By Alice Driver Before 2006, Roberto Ossandón, a farmer who lives in Chacay Alto in the rural mountains of northern Chile, depended on candles for lighting and caught up on news during rare trips to the nearest town. Thanks to an off-grid solar PV project financed by the IDB and other organizations, that year 3,100 rural houses and schools in the region, including Ossandón’s, … [Read more...] about Democratizing energy in Latin America and the Caribbean one step at a time
“Biobolsa”: turning agricultural waste into biogas and organic fertilizer
* By Ignacio Fernández Admetlla Sistema Biobolsa is a social enterprise that manufactures, distributes, sells, and installs anaerobic bio-digesters that transform farm waste into renewable energy (biogas) and organic fertilizer to small and medium-sized farmers. A project supported by the MIF-OMJ accelerator program is now trying to strengthen the sustainability of Sistema … [Read more...] about “Biobolsa”: turning agricultural waste into biogas and organic fertilizer