- ITS estimated the project could directly benefit 18,320 people in priority areas and indirectly benefit 115,416 people by avoiding the use of solid fossil fuels that produce high levels of pollution and pose a health hazard.
- The project includes workshops to teach economically and socially vulnerable communities how to build solar cookers.
- This initiative is part of X-ELIO’s Community Plan program, which aims to help promote the social and economic well-being of the regions in which the company operates.
Perote, 24th January 2023.
X-ELIO, a leading global developer of renewable and sustainable energy with a presence in Mexico since 2015, has recently closed a sponsor agreement with the Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Perote in Mexico. Through this sponsorship, X-ELIO and ITS Perote will help the residents of 33 localities in the municipalities of Perote in the state of Veracruz, Guadalupe Victoria and Tepeyahualco in the state of Puebla (Mexico), to build portable solar cookers with low-cost elements in order to reduce the use of solid fuels in homes for cooking or heating.
According to COFEPRIS data, in Mexico, about 20% of the population uses firewood for heating or cooking. The use of solid fuels for cooking and heating produces high levels of indoor air pollution, including particles harmful to health. An alternative to mitigate the consequences of firewood, forest deforestation and the generation of greenhouse gases are low-cost solar cookers, because they are devices that can be used as a complement to other energy sources to cook food, significantly reducing the adverse effects they cause.
The project implemented by X-ELIO and ITS Perote includes 33 on-site training workshops for 20 representatives from each of the localities. In these workshops, participants will be taught how to build 2 models of semi-fixed and portable solar cookers using recycled and/or low-cost materials, for a total of 33 semi-fixed parabolic cookers and 330 portable prototypes.
In addition, 3 workshops will be held in the facilities of the Instituto Tecnológico de Perote, where the entire population interested in the construction of these fixed solar cookers will be instructed. ITS estimated the project could directly benefit 18,320 inhabitants of the Priority Attention Zones and indirectly 115,416, which corresponds to the total number of inhabitants of the three municipalities included in this new initiative.
The aim of this sponsorship framed within X-ELIO’s Community Plan, is to create a link with the societies in which it operates and to serve as a tool for social development in all the markets in which it operates. Responsibility for the protection of the environment and its community; awareness of the fight against climate change and the decarbonisation of the economy, as well as commitment to training and best practices in the sector are some of the main drivers of X-ELIO’s community support programs.
Armando Gómez, X-ELIO’s Country Manager in Mexico, said: “Following last year’s success, X-ELIO is going to sponsor ITS Perote’s project to contribute to the sustainable development of the region. With this action, X-ELIO reaffirms its commitment to the region, in which we invest and whose population we help to achieve greater development, in education, health and sustainability. We hope to continue collaborating for many more years in order to continue creating value for the community.”
Roberto Alvarado Juárez, Director of the Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Perote, said: “We are delighted to be able to count on X-ELIO’s support to help our community become more sustainable, both environmentally and health-wise. Once again, we would like to thank the company for their collaboration and sponsorship in the development of the sustainable cookstoves, an action that will improve the daily life of the citizens.”
About X-ELIO:
X-ELIO specialises in the development, construction, financing and operation of renewable and sustainable energy projects with a global presence in Europe, the United States, Latin America, Japan and Australia. The company has 17 years of experience with more than 2.6 GW built. The group is a world leader in the development of renewable and sustainable energy, with a strong commitment to the reduction of greenhouse gases and the fight against climate change.
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