WISIONS of Sustainability

Our mission is to empower individuals and communities to transform the production and use of energy so that it effectively enables sustainable development. Read more about WISIONS activities, goals and background.

News Blog

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New study about how small wind can bring sustainable energy development to rural communities

News from WISIONS posted on September 10th, 2020
In collaboration with an extensive group of researchers our WISIONS team members Carmen Dienst and Willington Ortiz published a new study about market assessment methodologies for rural electrification with small scall wind power. It will be published in November 2020 in the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Review Vol. 133, but can be already assessed here. Direct link to the studyRead moreMinimize
Abstract: 
The mass roll out of solar PV across the Global South has enabled electricity access for millions of people. In the right context, Small Wind Turbines (SWTs) can be complementary, offering the potential to generate at times of low solar resource (night, monsoon season, winter, etc.) and increasing the proportion of the total energy system that can be manufactured locally. However, many contextual factors critically affect the viability of the technology, such as the extreme variability in the wind resource itself and the local availability of technical support. Therefore, performing a detailed market analysis in each new context is much more important. The Wind Empowerment Market Assessment Methodology (WEMAM) is a multi-scalar, trans-disciplinary methodology for identifying the niche contexts where small wind can make a valuable contribution to rural electrification. This paper aims to inform the development of WEMAM with a critical review of existing market assessment methodologies. By breaking down WEMAM into its component parts, reflecting upon its practical applications to date and drawing upon insights from the literature, opportunities where it could continue to evolve are highlighted. Key opportunities include shifting the focus towards development outcomes; creating community archetypes; localized studies in high potential regions; scenario modeling and MCDA ranking of proposed interventions; participatory market mapping; and applying socio-technical transitions theory to understand how the small wind niche can break through into the mainstream. 

Registration for RedBioLAC Encuentro Virtual is now open

News from WISIONS posted on August 26th, 2020
As already announced some weeks ago, the organizers of this years XII Encuentro decided to postpone it to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, it will be possible to attend an alternative online event from 6 to 8 October 2020, free of charge, open to everyone and you can register now. Please keep in mind that the whole event will be hold in spanish language. Register here now!Read moreMinimize
English version (spanish below)
The agenda for the Encuentro Virtual will be structured in three 1.5 hour sessions, consisting of a roundtable discussion and presentations of works from the RedBioLAC magazine. The prelimiary agenda for the presentations will contain the following:

6 October:
Jaime Martí from Ecuador will present his findings about national biodigester plans, strengths and weaknesses for their implementation in Latin America and the Caribbean

7 October:
Lylian Rodriguez from Colombia will elaborate on the role of biodigesters in rural development and family farming

8 October:
Ricardo Steinmetz from Brasil will talk about circular economy and the importance of anaerobic digestion

You can register here following this URL-Link and more detailed information will be published on the website of RedBioLAC. Stay tuned and please keep in mind that the whole event will be hold in spanish language.

Espanol:
La agenda del Encuentro Virtual se estructurará en tres sesiones de una hora y media, que consistirán en una mesa redonda y presentaciones de trabajos de la revista RedBioLAC. La agenda preliminar de las presentaciones contendrá lo siguiente:

6 de octubre:
Jaime Martí, del Ecuador, presentará sus conclusiones sobre los planes nacionales de biodigestores, así como las fortalezas y debilidades para su aplicación en América Latina y el Caribe

7 de octubre:
Lylian Rodríguez de Colombia explicará el papel de los biodigestores en el desarrollo rural y la agricultura familiar

8 de octubre:
Ricardo Steinmetz de Brasil hablará sobre la economía circular y la importancia de la digestión anaeróbica

Puede registrarse aquí siguiendo este URL-Link y se publicará información más detallada en la página web de RedBioLAC. Estén atentos y por favor tengan en cuenta que todo el evento se llevará a cabo en español.

Upcoming webinar of RedbioLAC on circular economy for waste in Latin America and Caribbean

News from WISIONS posted on August 13th, 2020
Our partnership network RedbioLAC will conduct again a webinar on the topic of "La urgencia de una genuina economía circular, frente a las tendencias de los residuos en Ameríca Latina y Caribe" (engl. The urgency of a genuine circular economy, in the face of waste trends in Latin America and the Caribbean". The webinar will take place on 19th August 2020 at 8:00 Costa Rica Time (4 pm CST) and will be held in spanish language. Register here for the webinarRead moreMinimize

English: 

The amount of waste generated in the Latin American region is growing alarmingly, while 40 million people do not even have access to waste collection on the continent, a figure that could increase as a result of the increase in poverty as a result of the global pandemic.
There has been a significant increase in the amount of regulations around waste, from specific regulations to ban plastics to broad legislation around the circular economy, but an intention to work towards zero waste cities is not yet clear.
The case of the energy recovery table in the development of the roadmap towards the circular economy in Chile, frames us in what is happening in several countries in the region.

It is necessary to make a realistic analysis of the current situation and look for solutions that do not repeat the formulas that have already been proven to have not worked.
Why reject waste incineration? And how RADA did it in Temuco. How to approach zero waste life, and incidentally, in what way can civil society be the guarantor of a true circular economy for the region? What do we understand by circular economy?


Spanish: 

La cantidad de residuos generados en la región latinoamericana crece de manera alarmante, mientras 40 millones de personas ni siquiera tienen acceso a la recolección de estos en el continente, cifra que podría aumentar como consecuencia del aumento de la pobreza como resultado de la pandemia mundial.
Se ha experimentado un importante aumento en la cantidad de regulaciones en torno a los residuos, desde normativas específicas para prohibir plásticos hasta legislaciones amplias en torno a economía circular, pero aun no es clara una intención de trabajo hacia ciudades basura cero.
El caso de la mesa de valorización energética en el desarrollo de la hoja de ruta hacia la economía circular en Chile, nos enmarca en lo que está ocurriendo en varios países de la región.

Es necesario hacer un análisis realista de la situación actual y buscar formas de solución que no repitan las fórmulas que ya está comprobado que no han dado resultado.
¿Por qué rechazar la incineración de residuos? Y cómo lo hizo RADA en Temuco. ¿Cómo abordar la vida basura cero, y de paso de qué manera la sociedad civil puede ser garante de una verdadera economía circular para la región? ¿Qué entendemos por economía circular?

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