Irradiance LatAm
Solar Power Plants
Slope -> Energy Production
Slope + Aspect -> Energy Production

SoLatAm: Powering LATAM’s Future with AI

About the Project

Inspiration

Latin America is a region of immense potential, yet millions of people still lack access to reliable and affordable energy. Many rural communities rely on expensive, polluting diesel generators, while others have no electricity at all. At the same time, LATAM is blessed with abundant renewable energy resources—sun, wind, and water—that remain underutilized due to a lack of technical expertise, funding, and infrastructure.

We were inspired by the idea of empowering these communities to take control of their energy future. By combining AI-driven tools with community collaboration, we envisioned a platform that not only identifies the best locations for solar energy but also connects people with the knowledge and resources they need to make the transition.

SoLatAm was born to bridge this gap—a solution that leverages cutting-edge technology to improve quality of life, create local jobs, and promote sustainable development across LATAM.

What We Learned

Throughout this project, we learned:

The Power of Data: By integrating satellite imagery (NASA Earth Data) and solar irradiance data (NASA POWER API), we could accurately assess renewable energy potential in even the most remote areas.
The Importance of Community: Technology alone isn’t enough. Real change happens when communities are empowered to share knowledge, collaborate, and support each other.
The Challenges of Accessibility: Many rural areas lack reliable internet access, so we had to design offline-first features to ensure inclusivity.

How We Built It

SoLatAm is built on three pillars:

1. Solar Viability Tool

Data Integration: We used NASA Earth Data and Google Earth Engine to analyze solar irradiance, terrain, and land use.
AI Models: Trained computer vision models to detect shading and classify land types (e.g., rooftops, barren land).
Interactive Map: Built with Folium and Geemap to visualize optimal solar sites.

2. Community Hub

Knowledge Sharing: Created a Q&A forum powered by Azure OpenAI to answer technical questions and share best practices.
Workforce Marketplace: Developed a job board where communities can find and hire local renewable energy workers.
Skill Verification: Implemented quizzes and badges to certify workers’ expertise.

3. Sustainability Tracker

Carbon Savings Calculator: Estimates CO₂ reduction from solar projects using IRENA data.
Community Challenges: Gamified goals to encourage collective action (e.g., “100 homes to go solar this month”).

Challenges We Faced

Data Accuracy: Satellite data can be noisy, so we validated it with ground-truth surveys during pilot testing.
Offline Accessibility: Many rural areas lack internet, so we built offline-first features using Firebase Firestore.
Language Barriers: LATAM is linguistically diverse, so we integrated Azure AI Translator to support Spanish, Portuguese, and indigenous languages.

What’s Next for SoLatAm

Expand to Wind Energy: Add tools for assessing wind energy potential in coastal and mountainous regions.
Government Partnerships: Collaborate with LATAM governments to integrate subsidies and incentives into the platform.
Scale Across LATAM: Launch in 10+ countries, starting with pilot communities in Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil.

Why SoLatAm Matters

SoLatAm isn’t just a tool—it’s a movement. By combining AI, community collaboration, and renewable energy, we’re empowering LATAM to build a brighter, more sustainable future. Together, we can turn sunlight into opportunity.

Try It Out

Visit our https://github.com/marc-herrero/UAB-the-hack25.git to explore the code and contribute to the project. Let’s power LATAM’s future, one community at a time!