For years, as much as 77 percent of Colombia’s electricity supply came from hydropower, but droughts intensified by the climate crisis made hydropower less reliable. Temperature increases and changes in precipitation patterns will likely lead to water shortages in Colombia. With more climate impacts on the horizon, Colombia needs to increase energy resilience while achieving low-carbon development. With USAID support, the Government of Colombia is making historic strides toward the goal of being carbon neutral by 2050.

Transitioning to a Net-Zero Economy by 2050

As one of nine Latin American countries working toward a target of 70 percent renewable energy use by 2030, Colombia aims to contribute 4 gigawatts of renewable energy to its total energy mix to support the 2030 regional goal. With its renewable energy targets and a growing share of wind and solar resources, Colombia is designing a future power system that is fundamentally different from that of today—one that uses new technologies, embraces new sectors, and creates new opportunities to enhance energy security, affordability, and reliability.

The Government of Colombia used auctions to increase Colombia’s energy resilience in the face of climate change and support low-emissions development. With support from USAID’s Scaling Up Renewable Energy program, the share of energy Colombia produces from solar and wind is expected to increase from less than one percent in 2019 to about 30 percent by 2030, reducing emissions by more than 9,096,118.36 tCO2e. That’s like removing nearly 2 million cars off the road for a year.