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Project: Agroelectric System of Appropriate Technology (STA) and Institute for Development of Natural Energy and Sustainability (IDEAAS) Location: Brazil Fabio Rosa is a charismatic, charming Gaucho — a guitar-playing cowboy with the energy and vision of a corporate titan who is determined to bring electricity and new farming opportunities to millions of rural Brazilians, allowing them to enjoy sustainable livelihoods while preserving the environment for future generations. Rosa first came to the Brazilian state of Rio Grande Do Sol in the early 1980s, when much of the rural population lived without electricity because they could not afford the installation costs. He saw that by using a single wire system instead of the ususal three wire he could bring affordable electricity to most the people in the region and create a model for bringing it to all Brazilians and people of other countries. Rosa’s first effort in the countryside outside the town of Palmeras was wildly successful — bringing hundreds of families electric powered pumps, refrigerators and lights for the first time in their lives. Rosa spread his idea to thousands of families, and eventually to more than half a million Brazilians. But in the late 1990s, the electricity industry in Brazil was privatized and the new owners weren’t interested in pursuing his model because the profit margins in the countryside were too low. So Rosa came up with a new plan to rent solar power equipment to villagers who live in the …