Page 24 - U4SSC Compendium of practices on innovative financing for smart sustainable cities projects

installations, professional training to residents as electricians and solar installers, and workshops
for children on sustainability. The professional training programme trains the local population to
be solar installers and electricians, promoting the autonomy of the community and its residents, in
addition to facilitating their entry into the labour market and generating new quality local jobs. So
far, 48 residents have been trained as electricians and solar installers in this training programme.
Additionally, the workshops of the environmental education programme cover different themes
related to sustainability to raise awareness among the local population – particularly children and
adolescents – on environmental issues. The workshops currently have 65 local children participating,
with the goal of empowering a new generation of youth in sustainability.

The solar installations follow a shared solar generation model wherein Revolusolar designs, builds
and owns the solar equipment and the beneficiaries form a cooperative and rent the photovoltaic
system. Residents will pay substantially less each month than they have been previously paying for
energy from the utility company. The trained solar installers carry out the installations. This project
will provide an affordable energy supply to the population as an alternative to current inadequate
infrastructure and unaffordable energy.

Sustainable Development Goals impacts

SDG 1 and 8: Poverty alleviation in the informal settlement as the project created decent employment
and provided cheaper electricity among residents.

SDG 7: Provision of affordable, reliable, renewable and modern energy source to marginal and
vulnerable groups.

SDG11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

SDG 17: Cooperation among NGOs, local community and private sectors.

People-first elements

• Affordable, accessible and environmentally friendly energy supply: One quarter of the population
of Rio live in favelas with social marginalization, inadequate infrastructure and unaffordable
energy supply. They perceive energy services as expensive, unfair, unreliable, low quality and
distant from their reality. In the last decade, the price of conventional energy in Rio increased
by 106 per cent. On the other hand, the cost of solar photovoltaic equipment fell by almost 90
per cent, in line with the global trend of decreasing renewable energy costs. The adoption of
solar energy will, therefore, reduce energy costs for the population.

• Increased opportunities for employment: Unemployment affects almost 14 million people
in the country and millions more are underemployed. The solar photovoltaic industry is the
leader among renewable sources in generating jobs, according to the International Renewable

12 Compendium of practices on innovative financing for SSC projects | January 2023