For the 80 residents of Vila Limeira, turning on a fan to cool off, drinking a glass of cold water or accessing the internet at home only became possible less than a year ago, with the installation of a solar energy system in their community in the Amazon.
The riverside settlement, located on the Médio Purus reserve in the Brazilian state of Amazonas, was founded in the 1950s, but until recently received only three hours of electricity per day. It was supplied by a diesel generator, which consumed 300 litres of fuel a month, costing 2,000 reais (US$428).
In June 2021, the Vila Limeira 100% Solar project connected 35 buildings, including houses, a community centre, church and school to a small solar power plant, and made the community the first in this southern corner of Amazonas to have access to renewable energy 24 hours a day.
“We lived in a kind of isolation. And most of the…
Solar energy advances in the Amazon. But why so slowly?
