Orlando, FL - Women are increasingly taking the lead in the renewable energy sector, pushing forward transformative changes. In Latin America women are rapidly becoming a powerhouse in renewable energy. These leaders are influencing policy, spearheading innovative projects, and releasing breakthrough research.
Leaders like Katlen Giraldo have been instrumental in advocating for global renewable energy solutions. Giraldo, the former Executive Director of Erco Energia of Colombia, has been a key player in driving initiatives that promote energy efficiency and integrate renewable energy into Colombia’s national grid.
Giraldo has led efforts to retrofit Colombia’s soccer stadiums, malls, factories and corporate buildings into renewable energy hubs. For example, she led the Alquería Solar Plant project installing 1 MW solar photovoltaic system that allowed Alquería to power a significant portion of its dairy producing operations with renewable energy.
In 2019 she also led Colombia’s installation of solar panels on public schools and hospitals in several Colombian municipalities, including Antioquia and Bolívar. These projects involved the deployment of small to medium-sized solar arrays that provided renewable energy to public buildings, ensuring that local governments reduced their dependence on the national grid.
The initiative not only reduced energy costs for public services but also promoted sustainability education among the communities involved, showcasing how renewable energy can be integrated into daily life.
“My work is centered around bringing Colombia into an era of energy sustainability using our rich natural resources”, said Giraldo.
In 2019 Giraldo along with other major energy sector leaders partnered to install solar panels on commercial rooftops as well as large industrial plants. Through this collaboration, Erco Energía helped bring more than 15 MW of distributed solar capacity online in various parts of Colombia, including Bogotá, Medellín, and Barranquilla. These distributed solar projects allowed businesses to generate their own electricity on-site, leading to significant cost savings while reducing strain on the national grid.
Under Giraldo’s tenure with Eco Energy, it saw a boom in its residential solar installations, driven by government incentives and increased public awareness about climate change. The company developed a financing model that allowed more homeowners to afford solar installations by spreading out the cost over several years.
By 2022, the Erco Energy had installed thousands of residential solar systems, helping individual households significantly reduce their electricity bills while contributing to the nation’s renewable energy goals.
Giraldo, who is a lawyer by training, has also influenced the incorporation of renewable energy in sports venues in Colombia. As countries like Brazil, Chile, and Mexico push to reduce their carbon footprints, sports venues have become a natural focus for implementing sustainability initiatives. Amidst the pandemic of 2020, Giraldo worked with Colombia’s football federation to install solar panels in almost every major sports venue.
This caught the eye of ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando which sought Giraldo to lead the adoption of energy-efficient practices and integrate renewable energy into its operations. By investing in solar power and implementing energy-saving initiatives, Disney and ESPN are reducing their carbon footprints while setting a strong example for the entertainment and sports industries.
“There is corporate will all across the world to make major spaces energy efficient and I am just doing my part to make the world a little cleaner,” concluded Giraldo.
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