Background
The Brazilian NGO IDEAAS seeks to spread renewable energy solutions and encourage social entrepreneurship. A previous REEEP project funded the creation of its Learning Center for Renewable Energy and Decentralized Generation, located in a rural area of southern Brazil. This complex has given government and utilities hands-on proof that off-grid and decentralized energy are a viable and potentially profitable option for remote areas of the country.
In parallel, in the Amazonia region to the north, the Grupo Orsa runs the Jari Project, a 1.5 million hectare area that showcases how competitive and high-grade wood, pulp and paper can be produced using sustainable processes, under certified sustainable forest management.
A partnership between the two institutions can showcase how the IDEAAS business model can bring sustainable energy to communities in large privately-owned tracts of Amazonia where the government and the local utilities are not obligated to provide energy services.