PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
19 June 2008
Brazil rural energy co-operative wins international green
energy award
Tonight at a ceremony in London, the world’s leading green energy prize awarded £20,000
to Cooperativa Regional de Electrificação Rural do Alto Uruguai Ltda (CRERAL), a regional
electrification co-operative operating a pioneering sustainable energy project in Erechim,
South Brazil. The Ashden Awards prize was presented to João Alderi do Prado, Manager of
CRERAL, by Kenyan Nobel Prize laureate Wangari Maathai.
Tired of regular power shortages, members of CRERAL, a regional electrification cooperative in
Southern Brazil, invested in two small hydro-electric plants to boost the local energy supply. Now
its 6,300 customers, mainly farmers, enjoy more reliable grid power and they can install new
equipment like fridges and milking machines to increase their sales of milk, cheese and meat. The
new hydro plants supply 25 percent of the cooperative’s overall demand, but more are planned to
help meet the growing electricity demand.
Sarah Butler-Sloss, founder and chair of the Ashden Awards said:
“CRERAL is a very important scheme, because it shows that for a cooperative that owns its own
distribution network, the use of mini-hydro plants can not only increase supply, but can also be
extremely cost-effective.”
Accepting the Ashden Award João Alderi do Prado, Manager of CRERAL said:
“This award is for all the associates of CRERAL. They decided and built our energy generation and
supply projects. I am extremely happy that this Award and our projects help Brazil and the world to
generate more clean energy.”
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Patron of The Ashden Awards, personally congratulated
this year’s Ashden Awards winners at a separate meeting. A Clarence House spokesperson said:
"The Prince of Wales was deeply encouraged to learn of the solutions demonstrated by the
Ashden Awards that can reduce our dependency on a carbon economy. His Royal Highness was
particularly impressed by the local sustainable energy initiatives recognised and promoted by the
Awards, which not only meet the needs of communities, but tackle climate change and further
sustainable development."
ENDS
For further information on the 2008 Ashden Awards international finalists (including case
studies) and to schedule interviews, contact Ilana Cravitz, International Press Officer:
T + 44 (0) 20 8985 3724; M + 44 (0) 782 551 0881; E ilana.cravitz@ashdenawards.org
Photos are available online:
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Awards ceremony: http://www.ashdenawards.org/winners_2008_photos
Winners with HRH The Prince of Wales http://www.ashdenawards.org/winners_HRH_2008
International projects: http://www.ashdenawards.org/photos.
Broadcast quality film footage of international projects and the Awards ceremony will be online
at: http://www.ashdenawards.org/broadcast_films
Notes to editors
1. The Ashden Awards are a UK-based charity working to increase the use of local
sustainable energy worldwide. They find, reward and publicise the work of leading
sustainable energy programmes working across the developing world and in the UK. For
further information, including details on past winners, funders and supporters go to:
www.ashdenawards.org
2. Five other international schemes were awarded £20,000 each on 19 June by the UK-based
Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy, to promote replication and expansion of renewable
energy projects. Technology Informatics Design Endeavour (TIDE) was awarded the title of
‘Energy Champion’, and Bangladeshi solar programme Grameen Shakti won this year’s
Outstanding Achievement Award.
3. The call for entries for the 2009 Ashden Awards opens on 19 June 2008. Expressions of
interest for the international Awards should be received by 21 October 2008. Details and
application forms are online at www.ashdenawards.org
4. A new piece of research commissioned by the UK’s Department for International
Development (DFID) looked in detail at some previous Ashden Award-winning
programmes. It shows that these programmes can achieve significant scale and deliver
significant benefits for people and the environment – the ten surveyed programmes are
serving 9 million people across Africa and Asia, and saving 1.9 million tonnes of CO2 this
year (equivalent to the total domestic emissions of more than 700,000 UK citizens). The
report is online at http://www.ashdenawards.org/reports/low_carbon_energy