Think of Venezuela and energy conservation probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. The world’s fifth largest petroleum producer is not only a fossil-fuel heavyweight, it also outpaces all other Latin American countries in per-capita energy consumption, Venezuelan officials acknowledge. Small wonder, then, that environmentalists were caught off guard when President Hugo Chávez last November announced an “energy revolution” whose principal goals are to replace incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving fluorescent ones in six million homes; pipe natural gas to homes; and boost the role of solar and wind systems in electricity generation. “We are the champions of waste in the consumption of energy per inhabitant, and that makes for an undesirable gold medal,” Chávez said as he announced the... [Log in to read more]
