The generation of energy from renewable sources in Latin America dropped from 25 percent of total output in 1990 to 23 percent in 2009, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). “The big challenge is the development of renewable energies. Half of the world’s renewable energy potential is in the developing countries, and Latin America has great potential,” Hugo Ventura, head of the energy and natural resources unit at the ECLAC subregional headquarters in Mexico City, told Tierramérica.

Ventura was one of the speakers at the Mexican International Renewable Energy Congress, held May 15 and 16 in the Mexican capital.

“We need to analyze the cost of the environmental impact of alternative energies, especially in light of a global scenario in which the economy is moving towards lower-carbon solutions,” said Ventura.