Uruguay, pioneer in renewable energy: a model for
Half of Uruguay''s electricity is generated in the country''s dams, and 10% percent comes from agricultural and industrial waste and
The country's thermal power plants rarely need to be activated, except when natural resources are insufficient. Half of Uruguay's electricity is generated in the country's dams, and 10% percent comes from agricultural and industrial waste and the sun. But wind, at 38%, is the main protagonist of the revolution in the electrical grid.
The map of Uruguay's electrical grid today is starkly different from that of 2008, when the majority of power was generated at a few hydroelectric dams north of Montevideo and the rest at a handful of fossil fuel plants in the capital. It's now possible for the entire grid to run several hours a day entirely on wind power.
In 2011 and 2012, the two leftists watched as onshore wind farm proposals finally poured in at competitive prices. This time around, the tenders resulted in the potential to power nearly 1.2 million homes solely with wind power—nearly every residence in Uruguay.
This article appears in the April 2025 issue, with the headline “Uruguay's Green Power Revolution.” Much of the vast landscape of Uruguay remains true to its historical image—down to the lone gaucho roaming the pampas. But there have been some notable additions.
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