ENERGY
Our Initiatives
The Energy Division supports innovative work in energy in Latin America and the Caribbean. It serves as the Latin American and Caribbean Hub for the United Nations initiative Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) which seeks to achieve three main goals by 2030: to ensure universal access to modern energy services, to double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency, and to double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. The Division also supports renewable energy innovation via the IDEAS contest, which awards innovative energy projects in the region up to $200,000. In terms of innovation in data, the Division is home to an interactive Energy Database that forms part of the Energy Innovation Center.
“Democratization of Energy should be the sign of our times,” said Chilean President Michelle Bachelet at the launch of the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All Americas (SE4All Americas) in Santiago, Chile in 2014. To make it the sign of our times, it is important to understand the challenges and opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean. In order to accomplish this, the IDB, the United Nations, and key partners such the UNDP and ECLAC havecreated an online hub to promote the work of Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) in our region. This online hub will be a catalyst for sustainable energy growth, and will consolidate fragmented energy information, and promote transparency, access to information, and the use of standardized information.
The Energy Database is an interactive tool that shows time-series energy data and market/institutional organization in Latin America and the Caribbean and, for comparison, other major countries/regions.
The Energy Innovation Contest (IDEAS) is an initiative that seeks to support the development of innovative technologies and business models that promote renewable energy, energy efficiency, bio-fuels and access to energy in rural areas in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was launched in 2009, and this year’s launch is the Fifth Edition of the Contest. Up to today, more than 2,300 proposals from 28 LAC countries have been received and 53 winners have been selected.
