73% of the global CO2 emissions are generated by the energy sector (including transport and buildings). Electrification, combined with power generation using low carbon, renewable energy sources represent a viable path to tackle climate change. In this context, solar power represents today, not only the cheapest energy source, but also the quickest to deploy. Solar power installations, particularly PV have been growing exponentially, a trend which is expected to continue especially considering the fluctuating and volatile gas and oil markets. In an energy system, where solar photovoltaic power will represent the major energy source (potentially up to 69% of the global energy supply by 2050), the need to understand, improve and forecast the operations of PV plants becomes critical for the security and safety of the society. CACTUS proposes to improve the research infrastructure (RI) and its portfolio of services for an enhanced solar PV performance, particularly adapted for various climate conditions (such as tropical, desert, temperate), considering the whole lifetime of PV projects, from design, installation, operations, decommissioning and End of Life. This will be achieved by linking outdoor and indoor measurements with physical parameters based on material analysis, improving algorithms for O&M, developing common data treatment procedures, assessing sustainability related aspects, while enhancing bi-regional scientific cooperation (EU-LATAM) in the renewable energy sector.

The project aims to address the urgent need to re-think macroeconomic policies, tools, and models, to overcome the combination of slow growth, mounting foreign debts and financial instability that characterized Latin America. The recent social tensions in the continent constitute an alarm bell and the need to move macroeconomic policies in the direction of justice and inclusive growth is increasingly recognized. The central idea of the project “MAcroeconomics for Justice and Inclusive Growth” is to contribute to this task by using the already existing capacities in the Latin American universities belonging to the consortium, and strengthening them with the help of some world leading experts in the field of macroeconomic modelling working with the European universities of the consortium. The project aims at fostering research capacities in the field of development macroeconomics in the LA HEIs. Emphasis will be given on building macroeconomic models to evaluate the potential impact of macroeconomic policies for justice, sustainable development and inclusive growth, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the international community. Sustainability is to be understood as social, financial and environmental. After severe world crisis of 2007-2009, economists worldwide recognized the importance of macroeconomic modelling to define the development trajectory of any given economy and its social, financial and environmental features. The so-called Stock-Flow models have proven to be the more palatable alternative emerging. With economic modelling and forecasting being increasingly requested for sustainable development and policy making, MAJIG intends to respond to the necessary to shape a figure able to address today’s policy and market needs promptly. The project will be pivotal for the effective upskilling and reskilling of competences, according to today’s job market’s needs and requests, boosting employability and response to development challenges.

Although Colombia, Cuba and Mexico report nearly 100% access to electricity, not all households are necessarily provided with good quality energy services, such as heating, cooling and use of appliances. In fact, around a third of Mexican households are unable to access an adequate level of energy services. Similarly, annual energy supply interruptions in Colombia add up to 38 hours per year. However, energy services are essential to wellbeing. Indeed, access to adequate, reliable, affordable and clean energy services underpins a range of human capabilities and when unmet, results in a situation of energy vulnerability (EV). A shortfall in realised energy services can be caused by various socio-technical, institutional and environmental factors, including: unreliable or poor quality infrastructure; gendered differences in energy access and use; high energy prices; social isolation; and stressors caused by intensifying climatic changes. The impacts of this are wide ranging, from adverse health, wellbeing, and social participation outcomes, to limited economic development. There are no official EV-related strategies in the three countries, and each one is at a different stage in addressing the issue. In Cuba there has been no research or policy attention to EV; in Mexico, energy poverty is gaining increasing policy attention and a pilot monitoring observatory was launched last year; and Colombia has recognised energy poverty as a policy priority within the National Energy Plan, but has not yet instituted mechanisms for measurement or alleviation. Following collaborative workshops and in-person meetings with stakeholders during Spring 2019, this co-designed project (ESLatinA) responds to the urgent need for comprehensive understanding, evidence and governance capacity on EV in Colombia, Cuba and Mexico, in ways that are inclusive and recognise the diverse and dynamic nature of societies. Furthermore, ESLatinA explicitly acknowledges the link between EV and energy systems resilience, and the transformative potential of fostering energy solidarity, a concept that implies a paradigm shift in energy discourse that demands commitment, shared understanding, and people-focused frameworks. In recognition of the social and technical underpinnings of EV, ESLatinA has brought together a multi-disciplinary team of academics, policymakers and civil society representatives to develop socio-technical solutions via a comprehensive programme of multidisciplinary research and action. Our aim is to bring about systemic change for EV alleviation, whilst simultaneously enhancing energy system resilience, and fostering energy solidarity, as to maximise social welfare and equitable development. This will be achieved through wide ranging research and outputs, including bespoke local and national-level household surveys, generating in-depth qualitative data from participatory workshops, and producing innovative proposals for governance and legal frameworks. We will also establish national monitoring Observatories and a pan-Latin American network, and undertake national-scale energy systems vulnerability mapping and local-level assessment modelling. In culmination, we will produce cross-cutting knowledge based capacity-building and socio-technical solutions, including a diagnosis toolkit, energy literacy workshops, community exhibits, and bespoke National and Local Action Plans; all this from the inclusive perspective of energy solidarity, which is anchored on energy justice.