Name: Plinio Leite da Encarnacao

Occupation: President and Co-Founder of the Associacao Amazonia

Location: Xixuau-Xiparina Ecological Reserve, Brazil

His Solar Story: Bringing solar panels to a remote village in the Amazon to power a health clinic, public telephone and the Internet

His Bright Hope: That families throughout the region will have access to health care and communications through the use of clean, solar energy, without affecting the delicate balance of the Amazonian eco-system.

In 1991, Plinio co-founded the Associacao Amazonia, with the goal of protecting the biodiversity present throughout the region between the Xixuau and Xiparina rivers. He and his co-founders were worried that the natural resources of the area were gradually being depleted by illegal logging, hunting and fishing practices, which in turn led to increased health problems for the local communities, including an outbreak of malaria. They traveled by boat to villages throughout the area to conduct a survey on the health and well-being of local communities, and to teach them innovative farming and healthcare practices.

The ecological reserve at Xixuau-Xiparina serves as a hub for communications throughout the region, and people come from far and wide to access the Internet, telephone, and most importantly the health clinic. But the Reserve is very far removed from the nearest electrical grid, so they needed to find an alternate source of electricity. Plinio and his team researched a variety of renewable energy sources, and determined that solar was really the only one that would have no harmful impact on the local ecosystem. They drafted a proposal to an organization called the Solar Electric Light Fund (S.E.L.F.) asking that they consider installing a solar panel at the Reserve. Their request was granted, and the energy provided by the solar panel creates enough electricity to power a computer room, a public telephone, and services at the health clinic. When locals get sick, the nearest formal health center is 5 hours away by boat. Instead, they can now search the Internet to find remedies to common illnesses, request prescription medication, and acquire instructions on how to heal and treat patients themselves.

Plinio’s dream is to some day acquire enough solar panels to provide electricity to the entire community. In the meantime, he and his team are helping local communities enormously through creative uses of the photovoltaic system they have, improving the lives of their citizens and protecting the treasured rainforest ecosystem for generations to come.