“Renewable Energies and Sustainable Economic Development” was the central theme of the side event held this Tuesday, June 14, at the Visitor Reception Center of Itaipu, within the first Global Symposium on Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions, hosted at the hydroelectric power plant. At the event, the Renewable Energy Advisory Office of the right bank of the company announced the projects that aim at the diversification of the energy matrix.
The panel was attended by Itaipu Binacional board members, Gerardo Blanco and Eduardo Viedma, and specialists from different institutions. The purpose was to discuss initiatives promoted by Itaipu Binacional on both margins and the opportunities generated by the use of renewable energies, in order to link these actions with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly number 7 (Energy), the Paraguay National Energy Policy 2040 and the National Development Plan 2030.
Renewable Energies are sources of clean and inexhaustible energy, enjoying remarkable growth worldwide, highlighted the speakers. They also pointed out that their main advantages are their abundance and potential for generation in any part of the planet, unlike fossil fuels, in addition to their diversity.
Also, during the panel, the specialists pointed out that the use of this type of energy does not produce polluting and greenhouse gases, responsible for climate change. According to the panelists, given these characteristics, it is possible to promote projects that, in the long term, become an option for economic and social development for the countries that implement them.
In this regard, Engineer Pedro Domaniczky, of the Renewable Energy Consultancy of Itaipu, right margin, mentioned that the company directly carried out various types of use of clean, unconventional energy projects, with emphasis on solar energy; increasing the energy yield of the plant through land-based and floating solar panels, based on the sustainable model.
Some initiatives mentioned by the Renewable Energy advisor include solar parks in the Paraguayan Chaco, electric mobility with the Ruta Verde (Green Route), bioenergy, and biodigesters for energy production using organic waste, among other initiatives that have been implemented in a satisfactory manner.
The panel also included engineer Nelson Romero, from Itaipu Technological Park – Paraguay (PTI-PY); Juan Tales, from Itaipu Technological Park – Brazil (PTI-BR); Rafael González, from CIBiogás; and Ramses Collarte, from the National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI), with each presenting projects executed by his respective institution.