Homegrown Energy

Having rejected electricity privatization, 6,000 families in the south of Brazil now generate all their own renewable energy — and don't charge a cent. Lucia Ortiz tells their inspiring story, and explains why peak oil could be a blessing.

They live on the river that forms the border with Uruguay and Argentina — a river in Brazil full of dams already built and being planned, where conflicts over pulp and paper industries are common. The majority living in the upper part of this Uruguay River Basin are small farmers. Since the 1960s these farmers have depended on rural electrification co-operatives for access to electricity. But these co-operatives worked just like any other private company…
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