B-REED - Brazil Rural Energy Enterprise Development

The Brazil Rural Energy Enterprise Development (B-REED) program in Brazil, with funding from the United Nations Foundation, seeks to develop energy enterprises that use clean, efficient and sustainable energy technologies to meet the energy needs of under-served populations, thereby reducing the environmental and health consequences of existing energy use patterns and stimulating local economic growth. B-REED will initially focus in Brazil's Northeast, specifically in Bahia and Alagoas. B-REED is a partnership of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), its Collaborating Centre on Energy and Environment (URC), the U.S. based energy investment company E+Co, and its local partner NGOs, BRASUS and INSTITUTO ECO-Engenho.

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.

Please see the B-REED Website for more information.