RevoluSolar, a community-based nonprofit organization in Rio de Janeiro, has launched a solar energy cooperative that will provide electricity for 35 local families. 

Brazil is underutilizing an important, abundant, and free resource—sunlight. On average, there is 30% more sunlight per year in Rio de Janeiro compared with major cities across Germany, yet Germany ranks much higher than Brazil in terms of in-home, citizen-produced green energy.

Seeking to harness Brazil’s solar energy capacity, RevoluSolar is a community-based nonprofit organization that produces, researches, and manages renewable energy in the communities of Morro da Babilônia and Chapéu-Mangueira, in Rio’s South Zone. The two cooperative projects have shown the world that solar energy is possible in poor areas. A core element of the circular economy is to ensure renewable resources, like solar energy, are utilised in an efficient way.

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Through collaborative volunteer work involving electricians, entrepreneurs from the favela, and the Babilônia and Chapeu Mangueira Residents’ Associations, RevoluSolar has educated community members about the benefits of renewable energy. The electricity generated by the panels, located on the roof of the Residents Association, will benefit approximately 35 families from Babilônia and Chapéu-Mangueira, who will also obtain a reduction of about 30% in their electric bills.

Photo retrieved from RioOnWatch