By Lauren Bower
The United States of America recently began placing higher emphasis on the importance of using renewable and clean energy. As more projects, such as RE-volv’s solar energy projects, pop up, they are becoming more and more popular, increasing the renewable energy capacity in the states. Meanwhile, many other countries are embracing a cleaner future through their own ambitions for renewable energy. Among these countries are both Guatemala and India. While there are many other nations working towards a cleaner future, for now, we will discuss these two.
Guatemala is the second largest Central American power market with goals to increase their use of renewable energy. In Guatemala there are high levels of solar irradiance and large areas of cleared land where solar energy could thrive (BMR Energy). Solar usage is growing in Guatemala through both on grid projects as well as off grid projects. BMR Energy is a group funded by Virgin Investments which is bringing renewable energy projects into Central America. In Guatemala, BMR Energy generates 13,500 MWh per year with 22,000 solar panels. BMR Energy has operated in Guatemala since 2014 and the power generated by their projects is supplied to the grid, decreasing the need for fuel oil burning for electricity. BMR’s presence in Guatemala supplies enough electricity for 4,500 households to run on. The project also creates jobs as local Guatemalan staff are the ones operating, providing maintenance for, and managing the sites (BMR Energy). Meanwhile, Guatemala also has many smaller, offgrid projects operating. One of these smaller offgrid projects is AgroTerra located near Alotenango, Guatemala. This farm owned and run by a Guatemalan native and his American wife uses solar energy to operate buildings on the property and run a hydroponic system to grow tomato plants and hopefully other plants in the future. AgroTerra provides healthy produce, safe crop protection products, and employment to other Guatemalans in the area thanks to their reliance on solar energy (AgroTerra). They maintain a partnership with the University of Dayton ETHOS center, allowing students from the University of Dayton to visit their property and learn about their systems as well as Guatemalan culture. Three of the University of Dayton’s RE-volv Solar Ambassadors, Lauren Bower, Lindsey Tippin, and Amelia Dougherty, were able to travel to Guatemala through this program and learn about the project in the Spring of 2023.
Members of the UD team, Amelia, Lindsey, and Lauren with their group in Guatemala under the solar structure that powers the hydroponics system below.
India has placed a significant emphasis on solar energy usage growth from 2013 to present day. Their solar energy production increased from 1.60 GW in 2013 to 63.15 GW in 2022. This increase in solar production included the introduction of 51 solar parks. Through their ambitious work towards renewable energy, India has become the fifth nation in solar capacity in the world. India’s ambitious movement towards reliance on renewable energy sources is not slowing down either. Their prime minister supports and drives these ambitious plans and as a nation they are targeting 500 GW of installed capacity by 2030. The most successful states in India for high capacity of solar energy are noticed to be those receiving the most funding for these projects (India Today). It is exciting to see nations such as India climb higher in the ranks of solar capacity as a nation with high ambitions for creating a cleaner energy future.
Other countries with high solar capacity ambitions and work towards them include Brazil, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Solar capacity growth is a global ambition and many nations outside of America are taking leaps and bounds to build a better future through harnessing clean energy. Recognizing the national growth in solar energy usage builds hope for the future of the world and will foreseeably be a continuous area of collective growth.
About the Author
Lauren Bower is a RE-volv Solar Ambassador at the University of Dayton. She is graduating Spring 2024 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. She is from Dewitt, Michigan and is pursuing a career in the automotive industry.
Works Cited
“Guatemala Green Solar Project.” BMR Energy, Accessed 2 May 2024.
“India’s Solar Surge: A Look at Ambitious Plans, Actual Progress, and Funding Trends.” India Today, India Today, 20 Mar. 2024,
“Productos Organicos de Consumo y Agricultura Guatemala.” AgroTerra Guatemala, agroterra.shop/. Accessed 2 May 2024.
