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Nature and Environment

Small businesses go green in Chile

November 28, 2019

As droughts and rising temperatures hit food producers in Chile, some small and medium businesses are switching to renewable power and learning about energy efficiency.

https://p.dw.com/p/3TPFT
A women holds a glass of red wine
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Onorati

Chile: Switch to renewables to secure the future

Project goal: Improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions of Chilean businesses in the agricultural and food sector

Project implementation: Training for small and medium-sized businesses in using renewable energy and in energy efficiency

Project scope: 60 small and medium-sized businesses

Project partners: German-Chilean Chamber of Commerce, Chilean Ministry of Energy, Chilean Agency for Energy Efficiency

Financing: The German Environment Ministry (BMU) funded €1,062,014.28 through its International Climate Initiative (IKI)

Duration: October 2014 to the end of 2019

It hasn't rained in Molina in central Chile for months and the water that usually flows from the mountains is also becoming scarcer. For wine grower Nicolas Morales, dwindling supplies have become a problem.

He sells half of his grapes to the large winery Vina San Pedro, a place where he's also getting advice on how to better manage the scarce resource. The San Pedro winery itself has an automatic watering system that reduces loss. It currently runs on a diesel engine, but the winery wants to switch to solar power.

They're one of a number of small and medium-sized businesses in Chile turning to renewables and learning how to become energy efficient as part of a German-Chilean run scheme to help reduce emissions from the agriculture and food sectors.

A film by Alexa Meyer