The Brazil Rural Energy Enterprise Development (B-REED) program is developing new energy enterprises in Brazil's northeast regions of Bahia and Alagoas that use clean, efficient and sustainable energy technologies to meet the energy needs of communities and families that do not have them. By providing clean energy services, these enterprises can also reduce the environmental and health consequences from using fossil fuels and poor quality biomass fuels, while stimulating local economic growth. With funding and support from the United Nations Foundation, B-REED is an innovative partnership of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the UNEP Risoe Centre on Energy, Climate and Sustainable Development (URC), the U.S. based energy investment company E+Co, and its local subsidiary E+Co Brasil.

The B-REED approach will offer sustainable energy entrepreneurs and existing companies a combination of enterprise development services and early stage financing, including seed capital in the form of debt or equity. For entrepreneurs, this might include assistance to transform their business plans into established companies capable of accessing mainstream financing. For existing companies, the early-stage financing might allow them to expand or enter the sustainable energy business. B-REED will also work closely with financial institutions, NGOs and government entities in order to facilitate the successful integration of these energy technologies into local markets and communities.

Click here to download brochure (PDF, 31kb)
Click here to download REED Report (PDF, 174kb)
Click here to download REED Investment Summary (PDF, 88kb)D