Brazil has approved 377 wind projects with a total combined installed capacity of 9 GW to participate at the upcoming wind power auction on August 23, 2013, according to the Energy Planning Agency (EPE). Wind developers will compete for 20-year contracts with delivery starting on January 2015 and a ceiling price of BRL 117/MWh ($50/MWh).

Central America is ripe for solar development, according to a new report released this week by GTM Research: All seven countries in the region enjoy significant solar resources and nearly all are primarily reliant on fuel oil, diesel and hydroelectric resources. With limited domestic fossil fuel resources, electric generation is typically very expensive in many of the region's markets. Despite these similarities, however, differences in electricity market structure, available incentives, and local economies significantly affect whether PV is a tenable option for consumers of all types – residential, commercial, and utility – and if it is realistic to expect solar market growth in the near future. The report provides details on solar PV market activity and potential in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.

With the aim of developing clean energy and energy efficiency markets at the MSME level (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) is organizing a green business award to be presented during the Foromic opening ceremony  (here is a more detailed description of the award (in English and Spanish) and online application.) The Foromic is the largest microfinance and MSME entrepreneurship event in the region and is organized by the MIF on an annual basis. This year the event will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico from September 30th-October 2nd (www.foromic.org).  This year, MIF will specifically recognize an exceptional green business in the region with an award during this ceremony. Aside from receiving the prestigious award “Best Green Business in Latin America and the Caribbean”, the winning organization will receive technical assistance (value: US$20,000) to further improve its organizational performance, to increase its revenues and to plan and implement future organizational strategies.  This is an excellent opportunity to raise awareness on existing initiatives and to fuel more interest in the MSME role in developing clean energy and energy efficiency markets.

Wind and solar are among the sources eligible to take part in the "A-3" power tender scheduled for October 25, 2013 [UPDATE: November 18, 2013] – alongside large- and small-hydro projects, and gas-fired and biomass plants, according to multiple news reports. It is unclear whether the generation sources will compete with each other or be separated into individual contests. This will be the first time that solar projects will compete in a national public tender. Only projects of more than 5MW are allowed to participate, according to Recharge. Official notices (in Portuguese) here.

Power generation from renewable sources worldwide will exceed that from gas and be twice that from nuclear by 2016, according to the International Energy Agency's (IEA) second annual Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report (MTRMR).    

Despite a difficult economic context, renewable power is expected to increase by 40% in the next five years. The share of non-hydro sources such as wind, solar, bioenergy and geothermal in total power generation will double, reaching 8% by 2018, up from 4% in 2011 and just 2% in 2006.

In statements at the Renewable Energy Finance Forum in New York last week, IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven warned that “policy uncertainty is public enemy number one” for investors: “Many renewables no longer require high economic incentives. But they do still need long-term policies that provide a predictable and reliable market and regulatory framework compatible with societal goals,” she stated. “And worldwide subsidies for fossil fuels remain six times higher than economic incentives for renewables.”

The report shows that renewables are becoming cost-competitive in a wider set of circumstances. For example, wind competes well with new fossil-fuel power plants in several markets, including Brazil, Turkey and New Zealand. Solar is attractive in markets with high peak prices for electricity, for instance, those resulting from oil-fired generation. Decentralised solar photovoltaic generation costs can be lower than retail electricity prices in a number of countries.

The 2013 IDEAS Energy Innovation Contest has launched a new call for proposals for improving energy efficiency and expanding access to renewable energy in Latin America and the Caribbean. Proposals must be submitted by August 15, 2013 via the www.iadb.org/ideas website. The competition is open to any organization, consortium, or individual based in IDB member countries in Latin America or the Caribbean. Successful applicants may receive up to $100,000 per project, disbursed over a period of 12 months. The winners must provide a counterpart of 20 percent of the total amount of the award provided to support the project.This counterpart contribution may be financial or take the form of time, materials, equipment, or personnel.

The latest Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index released by Ernst & Young ranks 40 countries on the attractiveness of their renewable energy investment and deployment opportunities, based on a number of macro, energy market and technology-specific indicators. As of May 2013, six countries in the Americas were included in the index (rank in parentheses): US (1), Canada (7), Brazil (15), Chile (18), Peru (26), and Mexico (29). The report highlights Chile as "South America's rising star" due to "perfect conditions" for renewable energy deployment:  "lack of oil reserves, unreliable gas imports, high electricity prices, surging energy demand driven by the mining sector, and power shortages arising from a traditional overreliance on hydropower."

The Brazil wind industry's annual report projects that Brazil will have 8.8 GW of cumulative installed wind power capacity by 2017, more than three times the current capacity of 2.5 GW. The new projects are expected to attract more than $10 billion in investment from 2013 to 2017.

Published by ABEEólica, the Brazilian Wind Power Association, the report provides data on generation capacity, capacity factor, economic benefits, and CO2 emissions avoided.

Notably, capacity factor for "Phase 2" wind farms (those contracted after 2009) averaged 54% in 2012, compared to earlier "Phase 1" wind farms, which averaged 27%, according to the report. The main difference between Phase 1 and Phase 2 relates to the technological advances in wind turbines.

Despite recent advances in solar and wind energy, Brazil is considering significant new investments in gas and coal plants to help power the 2014 World Cup, according to a recent Bloomberg article. After droughts depleted dam reservoirs in 2012, the country revised rules for power auctions in a move that may boost fossil energy by 50% at the expense of wind. The new policies will allow developers to propose Brazil’s first new coal plants in auctions since they were barred in 2009 over concerns of greenhouse-gas emissions.

The Zayed Future Energy Prize is a $4 million annual award launched in 2008 to recognize individuals, companies, organizations, and high schools making a significant impact in the fields of renewable energy and sustainability. The annual award celebrates achievements that reflect impact, innovation, long-term vision, and leadership in finding solutions to conserve energy, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and increase the production of clean, renewable energy. Online submissions by organizations are due by August 5, 2013. Nominations for lifetime achievement are due by July 22, 2013. Click here for leaflets in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.