The greening of Latin America

Climate pledges are suddenly turning into real investment in the continent’s renewable-energy sector

OIL firms across Latin America have seen their fortunes fall with the industry's downturn, but another corner of the energy business is thriving on the continent: renewables. A mix of supportive post-Paris agreement policies, plunging costs and competitive auctions that are opening new markets have pulled billions of new wind and solar investments into Latin America. It means the region's installed capacity has more than doubled over the past couple of years alone - from 6 gigawatts in 2013 to 15.4GW in 2015, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. That growth will accelerate as foreign investors arrive to meet ambitious government carbon-cutting goals. Compared to the region