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Posts by Energy

How to reduce your energy costs and become more competitive
How to reduce your energy costs and become more competitive

These days, reducing production costs to increase competitiveness is a must. In a report titled Climate Solutions, the World Wildlife Fund notes that the world could cut its energy consumption by 40% by 2050 just by improving energy efficiency and energy conservation. But when looking for alternatives that don't sacrifice the quality of raw materials, not many entrepreneurs realize that a change in energy policy could save them a considerable amount on their energy bills.

Infrastructure 360º Awards: promoting best practices in sustainable infrastructure
Infrastructure 360º Awards: promoting best practices in sustainable infrastructure

  * By Ana María Vidaurre-Roche A sustainable approach to project design has allowed a metro line in Peru to reduce greenhouse gas emissions up to 80% above what regulations require. The line connects 11 districts across Lima and improves access and mobility, increasing the city’s productivity level by reducing commuting times by almost four times. The project has created meaningful actions that go beyond its immediate business: engaging community groups in cultural and reforestation programs to enhance public space, and helping address other visible problems such as social insecurity, youth unemployment, traffic chaos, and pollution. In the Dominican Republic, a wind farm project driven by a sustainable strategy provided an agrarian, low-income region with power and brought added value to the communities through educational and social programs, rehabilitation of community assets, and support of local businesses.

To Connect or Not to Connect? Shifting Energy Industry Forges Unlikely Partnerships
To Connect or Not to Connect? Shifting Energy Industry Forges Unlikely Partnerships

On the big island in Hawaii, the sun shines 168 days of the year. In Honolulu, it jumps to 271 days of sunshine. That’s the perfect market to launch a new partnership between solar panel supplier SolarCity and electric carmaker Tesla Motors.

Getting Brazil Climate-Ready One Sector at a Time #CRinBrazil
Getting Brazil Climate-Ready One Sector at a Time #CRinBrazil

At the very time the city of São Paulo is struggling with the worst man-made water crisis in its history, with millions of people and local businesses  suffering from water scarcity, climate leaders gathered in Rio de Janeiro just a few hundred miles away, to come up with solutions to the global climate crisis. I was one of 600 participants who came from 55 countries to attend Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project’s 26th leadership training, #CRinBrazil, the first one ever held in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Germany wins 2014 World Cup in energy efficient stadium
Germany wins 2014 World Cup in energy efficient stadium

While the football battle of the continents continues, 50 percent of this headline will be true no matter how many goals die Mannschaft scores against los Albiceleste this Sunday. The energy efficiency part that is. Maracanã, South America’s largest stadium and the host of the final world cup game, is making history again 60 years after its completion. The US green building council announced recently that the iconic building, among four other world cup stadiums in Brazil, achieved LEED certification due to several design upgrades that result in lower resource consumption.

Game Changer #1: Renewable energy for a more sustainable future
Game Changer #1: Renewable energy for a more sustainable future

Seguir a @BIDSecPriv The intersection of energy and sustainability is an issue important to me both professionally and personally. Prior to the IDB’s Annual Meeting, I wrote about the climate change challenges facing Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Then at the Annual Meeting, I focused on private sector solutions and proposed three game changers.