The Global North — U.S., Canada, Europe, and Russia — has always been seen as the driving force behind renewable development. Their funds, policies, and technologies ostensibly lead the way in growing clean energy. However, recent studies have shown the other half of the world has been developing renewables at a much faster rate.
This rapid development in clean electricity starts at a local level. Across the south, from Latin America to Southeast Asia, small towns have used their rich renewable resources to produce power and better their livelihoods.
Wind Energy: Odanthurai, Tamil Nadu, India
Within southern India, a small village of Odanthurai set its path for clean energy in 1996. Before the transition, street lights, drinking water plants, roads, and other commodities hiked electricity bills by almost 10 times. A population of over 5,399 people and 1,529 houses were desperate to meet its energy needs….
