Current Projects

• Candelaria Solar Water Pump
• Chel Micro Hydroelectric Project
• Chirinos Solar and Pico Hydro Project
• Cochrane High School Sustainable Development Project
• Dalit LED Project
• Galapagos Solar Project
• Karen Solar Project
• Potreritos Solar Water Pump Project
• Shuar Solar Project
• Shuar Solar Project 2

Past Projects

• El Bote Project
• Humla Pico Project
• Long Lewan Micro-Hydro Project
• Mini-Hydroelectric Plant
• Pelly Crossing Electrification Project
• Polocon Micro-Hydro Power Project
• Renewable Engery Education Project
• Saloy Micro-Hydro Project

Chel Micro Hydroelectric Project

Listen to Jeff Arsenych's interview with CBC.

In January of 2004, the EnerGreen Foundation donated funds towards a micro-hydroelectric project in Quiche, Guatemala. Partnering with EnerGreen in this project is Green Empowerment, EnerGreen's Portland-based sister organization, and Fundacion Solar. Fundacion Solar, a local NGO based out of Guatemala City, has been active since 1995 promoting renewable energy. The Chel Micro Hydroelectric project is part of their Program for Rural Energy Services. When completed, the Chel Micro Hydro Project is projected to have a capacity of 165kW and will be connected to a mini grid supplying electricity to a community of almost 2,500 people living in the three small villages of Chel, Las Flores, and Xesai.

In addition to providing electricity, the Chel Micro Hydroelectric project brings with it additional social benefits. The Mayan villages participating in this project are located in the rural highlands of Guatemala, an area which was ravaged by violent conflicts in the early 1980's. Fundacion Solar has been working with the community since 2001. During this time they have aided the community in the formation of the Asociacion Hidroelectrica Chelense. The Asociacion Hidroelectrica Chelense is working closely with EnerGreen, Green Empowerment and Fundacion Solar on this micro-hydroelectric project. This project is a major step forward in unifying the community and expanding their economic opportunities. The leaders of the Asociacion Hidroelectrica Chelense, who were democratically elected, received training in financial management, project administration, organization of community labour, and micro hydro system operation.

In addition to the social benefits of this project, the implementation of a micro hydroelectric plant also prevents the use of fossil fuels. In the absence of the renewable electricity to be supplied by the Chel Micro Hydroelectric Project, electricity would have been supplied by a costly and polluting diesel plant. It is expected that 2,147 tons of CO2 emissions will be avoided over a 20-year period as a result of this project.

One of the most exciting aspects of this project is an agreement in which the Asociacion Hidroelectrica Chelense allocated any "carbon credits" or other emission reduction benefits created by building the first 55kW phase of the project to the EnerGreen Foundation. The private companies that sponsored EnerGreen for this project will receive proportional rights to any credits. This exchange sets a precedent for channeling the global CO2 emission credit market to small-scale community-based renewable energy projects for rural people in developing countries. It is thought to be the first time that an indigenous people's organization has benefited from the nascent global greenhouse gas emissions market. The Chel Micro Hydro Project is a new approach to renewable energy development that will be a model for future initiatives.