This year, Costa Rica set an energy record. The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) said in a statement that it achieved “99 per cent renewable electricity generation” and managed to power its grid on 100 percent renewable sources for 285 days. Hydropower is the dominant source of electricity generation in the small Central American country, […]
The government of St. Kitts and Nevis expect substantial job creation to result from a $610 million investment into geothermal and wind energy. Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. Timothy Harris, said in a budget presentation: “We must see this alternative energy, this new industry, as providing new opportunities for employment, for new skills […]
Latin Americans are the most concerned about climate change, said a Pew Research Center Survey last spring. LatinOne spoke with Lisa Viscidi, Program Director for energy, climate and extractive industries at The Dialogue, to ask her in what ways does the COP21 Paris accord affect Latin America. Viscidi said that although Latin American demand for […]
The geothermal project in Dominica has been pushed-back but not abandoned, said Hon Minister for Energy, Ian Douglas, in a statement explaining that the government’s priority has shifted to find housing for those displaced by Tropical Storm Erika. The Minister assured that the storm has not in any way affected the project’s infrastructure and is […]
Problems of infrastructure and politics hamper Latin American initiatives to thwart the problems of climate change, from guerrilla attacks on power systems in Columbia to congressional stalemate in Mexico. Energy experts in Latin America maintain that over-dependence on hydropower threatens the stability of the region at a time when environmental disasters are more common, leading […]
Brazil is using nascent technology to expand the production of renewable energy, with plans to build 10 MW of solar farms that will float atop two hydropower dams. The farms will be attached to the Sobradinho and Balbina dams in Bahia and Amazonas, respectively, and will be controlled by Brazilian utility companies, Centrais Eletricas do […]
The Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CaPRI) endorsed the views of Bill Gates, this week at the climate negotiations in Paris: “If you could pick just one thing to lower the price of, to reduce poverty, by far, you would pick energy.” The meeting of 196 countries aims to establish a legally binding deal on climate […]
Spanish company Gamesa Electric continues to expand global operations with a major solar project in Honduras. The company will deliver solar power stations to Honduras in early 2016 and commission a bid for supply and control of 53.31 MW of renewable energy in the second quarter of the year. Gamesa Electric has now reinforced its […]
The climate deal reached in Paris over the weekend has important implications for Latin American countries, many of which played a key role in helping the negotiations advance. The Paris agreement will also help mobilize new investment in key sectors such as clean energy, which will bring important local benefits while mitigating climate change emissions. […]