Andes Solar

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With her face lit by the last rays of sunlight, Mariluz gets ready to weave. "In old days, we wouldn't be doing this". Henry, her husband, soon agreed, pouring another cup of tea of muño and coca leaves at the dinning room with a view to the Lake Titicaca, in the Incatiana Quechua community. “The heady smell of burning kerosene would soon take over. It bothered eyes and nose, but we had to get our face close to the lamp so that it could be seen and the conversation would take place in pitch dark."

Living on the islands of Lake Titicaca, Peru, at almost 4 thousand meters altitude, surrounded by the Cordillera de Los Andes, the arrival of solar energy was the first successful attempt to bring energy to the isolated Aymara and Quechua people, descendants of the Incas. This initiative has transformed the lives of many families, opened new paths and opportunities, and strengthened their culture and traditions.

In the last decades hundreds of millions of people have gained access to modern energy. Yet it is estimated that about 14% of the global population, 1.1 billion people, has no access to any energy source. Of this number, the vast majority are people living in remote and isolated areas, such as indigenous communities in South America.

With energy production accounting for more than 35% of greenhouse gases and a constant and growing demand for energy, use sources with a less carbon intensive system, and less environmental and social harm is necessary to properly meet the challenges of a changing climate. For this, one of the Sustainable Development Goals established by the UN for 2030 is affordable and sustainable energy for everyone.