Thousands of communities throughout the Brazilian Amazon will have access to electricity as the result of biodiesel made from the oil of the tucumán, a native palm tree. In the northwestern state of Amazonas, Brazil's largest and most forested, there are some 4,600 isolated communities, of which just 32 have electricity, says Banny Barbosa, a student who presented research on this alternative Jul. 15 at a national science meeting in Campinas, near Sao Paulo.

All that is needed is the seed, which people throw out anyway, but is rich in oil, Roberto Figlioulo, of the National Institute of Amazonian Research, told Tierramérica. A plant for processing the seed and producing biodiesel is nearly ready in Carauari, in western Amazonas, he said.

The advantages of the tucumán are its abundance and the widespread consumption of its fruit.