"An Indigenous-led solar canoe initiative expands across the Amazon", 1 September 2025

A solar-powered canoe initiative originally launched in Ecuador’s Amazon in 2017 has now expanded to Indigenous coastal communities in Brazil, Peru, Suriname and the Solomon Islands... the effort helps communities in tropical regions reduce gasoline and diesel use, avoid road expansion and develop non-extractive income projects like tourism and forestry products businesses...

Kara Solar has delivered 12 solar-powered canoes to communities in five countries and built solar recharge stations that double as community energy centers... . It has also trained members of Indigenous communities to operate and manage the systems in their own villages.

Kara Solar prioritized river transport over road construction because roads are one of the main causes of deforestation in the Amazon...

Kara Solar stated that they plan to expand the project across the Amazon Basin, while making solar-powered canoes accessible and affordable for local communities. The aim is to establish a network of Indigenous-owned and operated recharge stations, located along approximately 400 kilometers (248 miles) of rivers, initially in Ecuador’s Pastaza province and subsequently across other territories in the Amazon...

According to Utne, co-founder of Kara Solar, the development of solar-powered canoes in rural parts of the Amazon is less costly than gasoline boats. But because the initial cost is high, many communities lack the capital to pay it....the challenge now is to develop funding models that allow local boat operators to pay over a period of time..