Our participation in the program builds on a partnership we launched in 2017 with the State Department and the State of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil that aims to bring US and Brazilian senior energy experts together to build capacity on renewables in Brazil and more specifically to help the island of Fernando de Norohna off the coast of Pernambuco replace dirty, imported diesel for almost all its energy with 100% local renewable energy in all sectors without using large hydro. The project also seeks to tie in the island’s water and waste treatment into the energy transformation because both present big opportunities to save energy and costs. The ultimate goal is to leverage this project, which will be the first of its kind in Brazil, as a learning laboratory for the region, nation, and the world.

The partnership has so far succeeded in getting buy-in from local, state, and national government in both the US and Brazil, and has secured an expanded group of partners in both countries among research institutions, energy industries, grid operators, workforce training groups, environmental groups, and more. We are hopeful that the skills and relationships acquired during the intensive Boldline P3 Accelerator program will unlock new opportunities for us to take our two big priority next steps for the project, which are identifying funds for our Institute’s continued administration of the partnership, as well as expanding our technology partners for Fernando de Noronha’s energy transition.