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Environmental Justice for Ucareo

Conventional wisdom says renewable energy is good for everyone. But as demand for solar and wind power grows, what’s to stop corporate interests from forcing rural communities off their land? After all, these groups occupy some of the world’s most well suited territory for solar panels and wind turbines.

The residents of Ucareo, Mexico have a plan to address this dilemma.

Together, they are working to claim ownership of their town’s natural assets by building a communally-owned solar farm. Once fully operational, this project will help transition Mexico away from dirty fossil fuels and provide a cooperatively managed stream of income for Ucareo residents.


It works like this:

1. LiCore AC — the technical partner in this project — will construct a community-owned solar plant using donations from the GoFundMe community.

2. Ucareo residents will work together to conceptualize and establish a publically accountable nonprofit organization to manage the plant and the income it generates.

3. The energy produced by the plant will be sold to the national electric utility for Mexicans across the country to consume.

4. The administering nonprofit will then invest the town’s revenue in local initiatives such as infrastructure improvements and social programming.

While similar community energy initiatives are commonplace in the United States and Europe, they were only recently legalized in Mexico. As a result, traditional bank loans are extremely difficult for community groups to come by.

This is why we’re seeking $15,000 from the GoFundMe community to construct a preliminary 6.4 kWp solar plant in Ucareo. These panels will provide an initial income stream for local investments, engage residents in this long-term initiative and serve as the cornerstone of the fully developed community-owned plant.

We plan to prove the technical and social viability of this project in Ucareo, thereby making it easier for other Mexican communities to secure financing for community energy projects of their own.

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Background:

For decades, Ucareo residents made their living in the local fruit fields. But as the national and international economic landscapes evolved, young people were increasingly drawn to cities for employment. Not surprisingly, the fortunes of the community dimmed. A recent survey revealed that only 23 percent of participating high school students hope to live in Ucareo as adults. Despite these challenges, Ucareo benefits from a long history of cooperative endeavors. Residents here have substantial experience with communally administering land and water resources and are eager to put that knowledge to use in reinventing their economy.

One Ucareo native currently works as an engineer for LiCore AC and maintains deep connections to the community and its institutions. He recently introduced the broader Ucareo community to LiCore leaders, and a partnership was born.

Together, LiCore staff and Ucareo residents conceptualized a community-owned solar farm that will contribute to the public good while preempting attempts by monied interests to exploit Ucareo’s abundant sunshine. They named the project COOPEREN, a shorthand version of Communidades Rurales Renovables (Renewable Rural Communities). While LiCore has the technical know-how and the dedication to Mexican innovation, Ucareo has the land, human capital, and willingness to pull together.

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Why now?

Solving the climate crisis requires bold, creative solutions. This is especially true in countries such as Mexico where renewable energy infrastructure is arguably in its infancy. Organizations like LiCore are encouraged to see new enthusiasm for renewable energy sources, but it’s important to keep the world’s most vulnerable people in mind as we chart our collective path forward. COOPEREN offers an opportunity to prove that the transition to renewable energy can promote social and environmental justice for marginalized populations.

Climate aside, there’s never been a more important moment to support economic stability in Mexico. Bilateral relations with the United States have become increasingly tense in recent months. COOPEREN stands to generate economic stability in rural Mexico and thereby lessen the circumstances that lead many Mexicans to migrate north in search of economic opportunities. While this is obviously good news for locals, a stable and prosperous Mexico is good for the United States, good for North America, and good for the world.

Both the residents of Ucareo and the professionals at LiCore AC are positioned to begin construction on the Ucareo solar farm. Representatives of both sides spent the first half of 2017 working together to lay the social groundwork and analyze technically feasibility in order to ensure the project is a success. Local citizens have worked with community development specialists to explore their options for administering their new resource, and LiCore engineers have developed thorough plans for the community’s solar infrastructure.

Your donation will allow both sides to put their planning into action. We’re aiming to raise the necessary $15,000 and begin construction early in 2018.

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Where will your money go?

One hundred percent of your donation will go toward installing solar panels and related solar infrastructure in Ucareo.

LiCore AC is a financially stable nonprofit, but we don’t have have the cash reserves necessary to fully build out this infrastructure on our own. To date, the organization has funded:

- Two weather monitoring stations to ensure Ucareo’s climate is amenable to this project

- A month-long residency by a visiting scholar to study the Ucareo social landscape and ensure the community can successfully sustain the organization that will make spending decisions

- A full-time team of engineers to design a technically viable solar energy system for Ucareo

We’re seeking to raise $15,000 USD from the crowdfunding community to begin installing panels. Your donations will allow us to purchase and install a preliminary 6.4 kWp photovoltaic system in Ucareo. This demonstration plant will help build excitement among community members and provide a powerful example of this project’s potential. Specific costs (in US dollars) are as follows:

12 photovoltaic modules ($6,575)
1 electrical inverter ($1,090)
Additional necessary installation components ($1,940)
Labor costs for installation ($1,800)
Other administrative, inspection and transportation costs ($2,400)
GoFundMe commission ($1,200)
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Total: $15,005

Source: NREL, June 2017: U.S. Solar Photovoltaic, System Cost Benchmark, Q1 2016 (NREL/PR-6A20-66532).

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What’s in it for you?

Donations between $1 and $100:

You’ll receive a monthly donor newsletter.

Donations larger than $100:

You’ll receive a monthly donor newsletter and opportunities for online Q&A sessions with LiCore staffers and Ucareo residents.

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How can I learn more?

The best way to stay up to date is to follow us on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn and our blog .

We look forward to hearing from you!

Organizer

Paolo Cisneros
Organizer
Chicago, IL

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