A project for airports to generate solar energy is the upcoming initiative of the new Institute for the Development of Renewable Energy in Latin American (its Spanish acronym is IDEAL). Airports represent a good option because of their vast horizontal surfaces, but they are part of a transportation system that contributes a great deal to global climate change, says Ricardo Ruther, the institute's technical director.

IDEAL, which officially opened its doors Apr. 27 in the southern Brazilian coastal city of Florianópolis, also supports legislation proposed in the national Congress that would allow people to sell solar energy produced in their homes, breaking the exclusivity of energy companies.

The German government is providing 10 million euros to promote the creation of an International Renewable Energy Agency, long a hope of the sector, said IDEAL's president Mauro Passos.