Solar energy miracles everywhere
What almost no one in this country knows or even believes: 19 of the 196 countries already generate over 90 percent of their electricity consumption from renewable sources.
Albania, Bhutan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iceland, Lesotho, Nepal, Antarctica, Paraguay, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Uganda, Norway, Namibia, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Kenya and Luxembourg. (Source: Statista market forecast, renewable energies).
Unfortunately, none of the major industrialised countries such as the USA, Germany, France, China and India – in other words, the biggest climate sinners – are members of this ‘club of 19’. They all still have a long way to go before they achieve climate neutrality or even climate positivity.
Real solar role models in Latin America, for example
Role model one: Uruguay
This small South American country is a great example of a successful renewable energy revolution: Ramon Mendez, director at the Ministry of Energy, told the TAZ newspaper how and why the goal of a rapid energy transition has already been achieved: “Until 2006, Uruguay’s electricity matrix consisted of 56 per cent oil, which also accounted for 36 per cent of the country’s total imports. We were highly dependent on global fluctuations in oil prices and the uncertainties of neighbouring countries, which often did not have electricity, gas or oil for export themselves. So we asked ourselves what our electricity matrix should look like in 30 years’ time and worked backwards to figure out what we would need to do in 20 and then in 10 years to achieve this goal. Since 2019, the electricity matrix has consisted of 50 per cent hydropower, 30 per cent wind energy, 15 per cent biomass, three per cent solar energy and only two per cent oil.” (TAZ, 30 September 2024, page 9).
Instead of oil and gas, the South American country with a population of 3.4 million now imports wind turbines and solar panels, investing around six billion dollars in the process. But the sun and wind don’t send bills, and they have already saved the country a lot of money in the medium term, confirms Ramon Mendez: ‘We convinced people because it was the cheapest solution for them and for the economy.’ This policy has cut electricity costs in Uruguay by half. Ramon Mendez now advises several governments in South America on the energy transition.
Role model two: Chile
The Atacama Desert in northern Chile has such abundant sunshine that it could supply the whole of Latin America with solar power. That is why Chile’s government reformed its previous dependence on imported oil and gas in 2015 and switched to solar energy. By 2030, 80 percent of the country’s electricity is to be generated from the sun. Every year, larger photovoltaic plants are being built in the Atacama Desert. In 2014, Chile had one percent solar power; by 2024, it was already twenty times more.
The sun and wind don’t send a bill
The sun and wind don’t send a bill. The argument of ‘climate protection’ wins over only a few people. Economic arguments, on the other hand, win over many very quickly. With a smart, sustainable economy, we can solve the eco-crisis. Over the past 20 years, Uruguay has transformed 98 per cent of its energy supply to renewable sources because they are the most cost-effective and because the country wanted to become energy independent from imports. The war in Ukraine is having a huge impact on economic and energy policy around the world, but not on energy policy in Chile and Uruguay. SPIEGEL.de is right to write about the ‘energy transition miracle of Uruguay’ (20 May 2025).
The world is well on its way to a solar world revolution and thus to the dawn of a new era for humanity. The EU Commission has also just announced that it will achieve its CO2 reduction targets by 2030.
Source
Franz Alt 2025 | Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
