How much green energy is generated in Latin America?

At a time of increasing environmental problems, green energy is a way to reduce pollution and improve air quality, while helping to keep our planet’s non-renewable natural resources intact.

The Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region produces nearly 60% of its electricity from green sources and contains one of the cleanest electricity grids in the world. While wind and solar power have performed remarkably well in recent years, hydropower continues to generate most of the region’s electricity.

According to Statista data, in 2021, 100 percent of Paraguay’s electricity production came from hydro exploitation, as did three quarters of that of Costa Rica, which ranked second in green electricity generation in LAC, with 99 percent.

Meanwhile, Uruguay is the third Latin American country with the highest share of this type of technology, with 84% of energy generated from green sources. It is followed by Ecuador, with 82 percent, and in fifth place is the giant of the Southern Cone, Brazil, with 81 percent.

Colombia, with almost 68% of its electricity generated by means of clean energies, and Chile, with less than 44% in this area, are further down the ranking.

However, in the ranking we can find countries that opt for the exploitation of natural gas to produce electricity, despite the enormous development possibilities offered by renewable energies. Such is the case of Argentina, which experienced an increase of about ten percentage points in the electricity produced by fossil fuels during the same period of time, which represents almost 70% of the electricity generated in the country, leaving clean energies behind with only 30% of participation.

In this context, in Mexico, gas went from representing less than 20% of electricity production at the beginning of the century to more than half last year. As a result, green energies account for only 29% of the electricity generated in the country.

We must not lose sight of the fact that green energies, by improving environmental quality, also improve people’s quality of life, while helping to stabilize the economy and guarantee the future of new generations; therefore, investing in them is of vital importance for humanity and the entire planet.