In 2017, Václav Smil, professor emeritus in environment at Manitoba University, Canada, published an ambitious work called Energy and Civilization: A History. Smil, according to Science magazine the world’s foremost expert on energy, unpicks in his work how energy has come to model human society over the past two thousand years.
Of course, energy use and human wellbeing are intimately linked, but with one important subtlety. In a recent interview, the professor pointed it out that “economic growth and the increase in energy consumption must only be considered as ways of achieving a better quality of life, a concept that involves not only satisfying basic physical needs, but also human intellectual development, from basic education to individual freedoms.”
At ACCIONA, when we asked ourselves how we could contribute to improving the quality of life in less-developed regions, we realized we needed to do what we know best: energy and water infrastructure on which human reality is built. This was the origin of the acciona.org foundation and the logic behind its moniker The Energy & Water Foundation.
As a challenge and a dream, over its 15-year history acciona.org has sought to demonstrate that renewable energies can mean access to electricity and other basic services in the most remote communities, where technical and economic obstacles appear insurmountable. But it’s no good resolving a community’s present without thinking about its future. As such, the leitmotiv of the acciona.org foundation has always been the permanence of the communities where it is present, project sustainability, and arriving to remain.
The tropical forests of Peru, the highest Andean mountains, the last frontier of the Philippines, and the remote rural regions of Mexico are some of the places our work plays out on a daily basis. In this article, we tell you about the principles driving our initiatives.
The leitmotiv of the acciona.org foundation is the permanence of the communities where it is present, arriving to remain.
When the acciona.org foundation launches a project, the starting point is always the same: identify the marginalized regions other entities aren’t reaching – whether that be logistically, environmentally or economically – and design a strategy to cover their needs and, especially, find ways of collaborating with the local population. Without local involvement, without embracing a project and keeping it up, long-term viability will be compromised.
The immense majority of communities we attend to are dispersed and in inaccessible areas. It means going where no one else goes, as these are projects carried out beyond the radius of action of big companies and public policies. From here on, it’s crucial to tackle projects realistically and practically. And this is achieved through the following steps:
acciona.org has sought to demonstrate that renewable energies can mean access to electricity in the most remote communities.
Local technicians offering close-at-hand service are fundamental. These are identified local entrepreneurs, either members of the beneficiary community itself or those already offering other services to it, always located in prominent places such as markets or where the beneficiaries seek other services.
They provide technical help, advice, repair, sale of equipment, and other services connected to the systems supplied. acciona.org accompanies them in their activities, for which it has developed a specific program for monitoring performance.
Local entrepreneurs are trained to provide technical assistance to users, advice, repair or sale of equipment.
Beyond the abstract notions of energy or water, acciona.org projects result in specific interventions. For electricity, they usually consist of installing solar home systems or photovoltaic micro-grids, although there are larger-scale photovoltaic plants to mitigate energy poverty in general. In all of these, the aim is to comply with SDG 7 for affordable and clean energy.
For water and sanitation, we work with rainwater collection systems, wellspring improvement, potabilization systems and dry toilets which allow management of grey and black water in each home, as well as washbasins. This strategy contributes to the attainment of SDG 6 for clean water and adequate sanitation, one of the pillars of public health.
Another action which has contributed to changing the lives of the beneficiaries is the improvement of kitchens, saving on wood use and curbing toxic smoke emissions generated by burning ocote, a pine native to Mexico and Central America.
The way to make all this happen is to have acciona.org organizations established in each country with the help of local staff, which allows us to combine long-lasting ties with the local context and in-depth expertise. We have professional teams in each country dedicated to carrying out development cooperation projects and, through those, providing basic services at ground level.
We also count on another group of allies, our volunteers, who altruistically place their enthusiasm and experience at the service of these initiatives, dedicating their time and skills.
As emphasized earlier, the impact of acciona.org is international in scope. To date, we have worked on four continents and seven countries, with over 15 initiatives: from the supply of solar power to communities in high Andean regions to the installation of electric, water and sanitation systems, and cook stoves, in rural areas in Mexico. If, however, we had to highlight one program it would be Light at Home, which consists of electrifying rural communities.
Cajamarca is an area of Peru with some of the highest poverty rates in the country. It was also the scene of one of the first Light at Home projects back in 2009, and is an example of how to take sustainable, affordable electricity to some of the most disadvantaged rural homes on the planet.
14 years after the Light at Home adventure began, homes in Cajamarca continue to light up at night with renewable energy.
The result is that almost 4,000 families now benefit from renewable energy supplied from solar home systems. Cajamarca inhabitants have gone from living by candlelight to counting on electric light for their daily needs. Local businesses have also begun acting as Light at Home Centers, offering related technical services over the long term.
Because the important thing for any project of this type is not only to arrive, but also to remain there. In fact, 14 years after the Light at Home adventure began, homes in Cajamarca continue to light up at night with renewable energy.
acciona.org works to make simple changes to communities around the world for a better life. At acciona.org we facilitate access to safe drinking water and sanitation, in an affordable and sustainable way for developing communities.
