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Nicaragua
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Nicaragua is a very small but very rich
country. It is located in the middle of Central America between
Honduras and Costa Rica and is rich in history, has plentiful
natural resources and a, generous, hard-working and open-hearted
people. Nicaragua is also blessed with an abundance of natural
energy; brilliant sunlight, strong and reliable trade winds,
fast moving streams and rivers, and abundant geothermal heat.
Most of the people of Nicaragua have very little money, but
by more comprehensive measures than money Nicaragua is rich
indeed. Until recently, the wealth of Nicaragua, and indeed,
that of most of Latin America, was exported to the Developed
World and the pittance that was paid back in exchange fell into
the hands of a few families. The revolution in 1979 and the
state of chronic war that continued for 10 years afterwards
drained the financial resources of the country. However, it
left the country free of the worst excesses of this exploitation
of the wealth of Nicaragua.
Red Cross Building in Somoto, Nicaragua
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While
the two (more or less) freely elected government administrations
that followed have made mistakes and have not been all the people
could have wished for, the country is now blossoming like a plant
that is finally released from a restricted pot in spite of the corruption
of the present Nicaraguan administration.
Learn more
about Grupo Fenix
A parabolic solar cooker at a fair in Cuidad
Dario, Nicaragua
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People are optimistic and are
building a "new" country. Even the devastation of Hurricane
Mitch has led to a flurry of reconstruction that has left many places
in better shape than before the incredible storm, even though other
villages are still worse off. One of the ways that this progressive
work is manifested is in a real interest in using renewable energy.
Across the political spectrum, everybody would rather see solar, wind,
microhydroelectric and geothermal energy used in place of oil fired
power plants and engines using imported fossil fuels. The major impediment
to using renewable energy is a lack of capital to invest in the systems.
It is difficult in the present world financial climate to convince
outside investors to put money in a project that may not have any
payback for years, and may never have the kind of profit margins that
world business leaders now think is necessary. In the United States,
one doesn't often think twice about turning on the light switch. But
for more than 40% of Nicaragua's population, this is not even possible:
they have no electricity. For many, the cost of purchasing an electrical
lighting system is way beyond their means. A farm laborer fortunate
enough to have work all month in a country with massive unemployment
makes about $40. His family in the countryside either goes without
the luxury of light, or spends $10-$15 per month on candles and kerosene.
Alternatively, some communities have managed to obtain noisy diesel
generators that are silenced when they run out of expensive scarce
fuel, while others use old car batteries, requiring money to recharge
before they fail within months.
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