In the Amazon, sunlight is replacing the roar of diesel

Two years ago, the people of Nova Sociedade — a village deep in Brazil's Amazon — had to walk 20 kilometers (12 miles) to find water during a historic drought. This year they are ready. Solar panels installed in June now run the pumps that fill clean-water tanks for all 36 families, and every household just received its own solar kit with batteries for light after dark. The nonprofit Saúde e Alegria has brought similar systems to 30 communities ahead of a possible El Niño drought this fall. Across the Amazon, off-grid solar has grown from 105 systems in 2020 to more than 100,000 in 2026 — quieter schools, fresher food for the children, and clinics that can refrigerate vaccines.