Without energy, there will be no prosperity in the deep Amazon

In Amazonas, most interior communities currently have sporadic access to energy through generators powered by fuel and lasts, on average, 4 hours a day.

Those who live in large cities in the South and Southeast of the country rarely have the experience of not having access to energy for everyday activities such as charging their cell phone, or turning on the electric heater on cold days or air conditioning on hot days. This, however, is not the reality of a large part of the Brazilian Amazon. In urban centers such as Manaus and Belém, power outages are frequent – yet access for the majority of the population is guaranteed. In riverside and indigenous communities in the largest tropical forest in the world, the situation changes drastically.

According to data from the Institute of Energy and Environment (IEMA), from 2019, almost 1 million people in the Amazon do not have access to electricity. Pará and Amazonas are the states with the highest deficit, the first with 409,593 and the second with 159,915 people without access to electricity. The numbers demonstrate the distant reality of the northern region of the country.

In Amazonas, most interior communities currently have sporadic access to energy through generators powered by fuel and lasts, on average, 4 hours a day. By cutting out the numbers released by IEMA, we can also use data Foundation for Amazon Sustainability (FAS). The foundation's monitoring shows that, of the 582 communities in which FAS operates in Amazonas, 313 do not have full, 24-hour access to energy. 810 families still depend only on lamps, torches and candles.

It is worth highlighting that communities that have generators based on diesel, fossil fuel, in addition to being pollutant, generate a high financial cost, which is often not possible to maintain on a monthly basis. Obviously, whoever is reading this text has access to energy and, probably, in abundance. Let's think then about those people who won't read what I write, because they don't have energy or internet. What can we do to change this reality?

In addition to the intrinsic unsustainability of energy access through fossil fuels, which are major polluters, due to the systemic approach adopted by FAS, first of all, we understand that it is not possible to keep the forest standing if the quality of life of the populations of the region is not improved, the true guardians of the Amazon biome. To make this concrete, the institution promotes health actions; Education and Citizenship; Community Infrastructure; Income and Entrepreneurship; Empowerment; Search; Development and Innovation; Environmental Conservation; and Management and Transparency.

To materialize these actions, clean renewable sources of energy are needed for people living in communities. From the moment electricity arrives in these locations, it is possible to begin the process of internet connectivity and, thus, collaborate in generating income, through community-based tourism in the stunning communities of the Amazon, to name just one example. Energy is needed to welcome tourists, store supplies and maintain activities. It takes energy to communicate. Income generation demands energy.

To implement activities and actions in favor of quality of life, the issue of energy has a central place. And it's still a big challenge. FAS implemented a successful pilot project that can serve as an example for replicability in other clean energy locations in the Amazon.

In the Santa Helena do Inglês Community, located in the Rio Negro Sustainable Development Reserve (RDS), municipality of Iranduba (AM), 64 kilometers from Manaus, FAS, in partnership with the company UCB, installed photovoltaic solar energy that uses lithium batteries. The technology is considered innovative and sustainable, as well as adaptable to the reality of riverside communities.

The community already had access to energy, but suffered from constant outages caused mainly by climate changes. When it rained, the entire community was without electricity and this disrupted night classes, for example. In total, the system comprises 132 solar panels, 54 lithium batteries and nine state-of-the-art hybrid inverters. What a dream it would be if everyone in the deep Amazon could access this type of clean energy system.

With energy, in addition to the benefits mentioned above, we move on to another point: forest conservation. We can begin, with greater fervor and certain that we are doing our part in guaranteeing essential services and rights, the process of raising awareness about the conservation of the environment in which we live. This can be done through education focused on sustainability.

We know that there are challenges to be overcome for projects like these to reach distant places. I usually mention three main ones: logistics, communication and energy. The logistics of getting to certain communities are very difficult, some journeys take days, along the gigantic Amazon rivers. Communication is another complicating factor, as there is no telephone. And both are linked to the lack of energy, the main topic discussed in this text. These three factors need to be aligned and functional so that it is possible to bring dignity, income generation, access to health and, finally, ensure the social prosperity of riverside and riverside people in the Amazon. I can say that where there is no energy, we will not have prosperity.

Article written by the superintendent of sustainable development of communities at Foundation for Amazon Sustainability, Valcléia Solidade. Originally published in (((o))) eco, on July 28, 2023.