Luces para Aprender
Project

The Elecnor Foundation and the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI, after its Spanish name) have signed an agreement to jointly implement the Luces Para Aprender Project in Uruguay, supplying electricity to 90 rural schools in Uruguay and completing their electrification.

This Project aims to improve living and educational conditions for thousands of children in the area, providing them with a key driver of quality education, electricity.

The project consists of installing a solar power system in each of the schools, providing them with renewable, sustainable energy that respects the environment. These systems meet the internal and external lighting needs of the schools, powering technological and communications equipment, such as TVs, computers and mobile phones.

The solar-power installation consists of a generating system composed of photovoltaic panels, a battery-storage system and energy management through a voltage controller and an inverter. The system is based on square solar cells manufactured from high-efficiency mono- or polycrystalline silicon, meeting the IEC 61215 standard with class II safety.

The energy generated will light the schools for the children and provide a meeting place in the evenings. Electricity is a driver of progress, combating inequality and multiplying the opportunities available.

After achieving the goal set, the second phase of the Luces para Aprender (Lights to Learn) project was launched. The Elecnor Foundation, the National Administration of Power Plants and Electrical Transmissions (UTE) and the Organisation of Ibero-American States (OEI) signed an addendum to the project agreement in 2018, in order to allow the relocation of renewable energy equipment from schools already connected to the national grid and the development of spaces for educational use.

Thus, in 2019, the first Renewable Energy Node, installed at the UTEC South Central Regional Technological Institute, was inaugurated in Durazno. The aim of this node is to develop a centre for information, awareness raising and the promotion of clean energy and its impact on the environment and on development. It is intended for the community of Durazno and the surrounding areas, particularly school-age children and adolescents.

The inauguration of this node was attended, on behalf of UTE, by Vice President César Briozzo and Directors Cristina Arca and Walter Sosa; CAF's Uruguay representative, Germán Ríos; the director of the OEI office in Uruguay, Sandra Rodríguez; and UTEC adviser Rodolfo Silveira.