OVERVIEW

The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory Partnership (NREL), implemented through a partnership between USAID and the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, advances renewable energy systems in Colombia.  NREL provides policy, planning, modelling, and deployment support to energy entities within the Colombian Government to address renewable energy challenges in the country.  NREL’s current support to Colombia runs from January 2018 to July 2025.


GOALS

INTEGRATE RENEWABLE ENERGY 

NREL works with the Colombian Government to plan, operate, and integrate solar, wind, hydrogen, and geothermal power into Colombia’s electricity system and market.  NREL supports the Colombian Government, utility companies and stakeholders in developing standards, programs, and best practices for non-traditional renewable energy.

STRENGTHEN LOCAL CAPACITY 

NREL improves the Colombian Government, utility companies, and stakeholders’ knowledge of renewable energy.  It does this through seminars, workshops, technical events, and access to advanced renewable energy sector research.  NREL also promotes gender equality and women’s inclusion in the energy sector.

SUPPORT A CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY

NREL supports Providencia Island in transitioning toward a clean energy economy.  The activity hopes that Providencia will serve as an example for how governments can couple rapid natural disaster response with capacity building for a more sustainable, less carbon-intensive future.

DISTRIBUTE ENERGY RESOURCES

NREL provides tailored technical assistance to the Colombian Government to develop energy distribution plans.  This assistance includes support in areas like electric mobility, regulatory considerations, distributed generation modeling, and residential and commercial energy applications. 

ANTICIPATED RESULTS 

  • Train stakeholders how to make Colombia’s geothermal sector more open and competitive;
  • Contribute to Colombia’s Hydrogen Roadmap and geothermal regulation by providing detailed feedback from subject matter experts;
  • Train early-career energy sector professionals on the construction and operation of clean energy projects, at least 50 percent of whom are women; 
  • Support the development of Providencia’s renewable energy roadmap through research, virtual workshops, and an energy resource optimization analysis; and
  • Help develop action plans with the Colombian Government and private sector actors to transform Colombia’s energy distribution, electric mobility, and distributed energy resources growth.