Ten solar solutions that will accelerate the energy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean
How can we accelerate the transition to clean energy in a region facing enormous energy challenges? That was the question that marked COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where world leaders reaffirmed their commitment to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C and move toward decarbonization. The answer is beginning to take shape: ten startups with innovative solar solutions are ready to transform Latin America and the Caribbean.
These initiatives are the winners of the SolarX Startup Challenge 2025, a program promoted by the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and operated by IDOM, which received more than 100 scalable, high-impact proposals from 29 countries. All of them seek to solve local energy challenges with solar technology.
After a rigorous technical and impact assessment process, IDOM led the selection of the 10 most promising solutions, six of which are co-led by women. Each startup will receive a grant of $15,000 and participate in an acceleration program to scale their projects in the region. The selected startups are:
- Kingo – Guatemala: Designs and operates IoT-based clean energy and last-mile connectivity solutions for remote off-grid areas.
- Digital Grid – Brazil: Specialized SaaS platform that addresses the operational, financial, and regulatory challenges of shared and off-grid solar generation through comprehensive automation.
- SQUAIR – Brazil: Smart platform for integrated energy and temperature management in energy-intensive refrigeration environments, such as logistics centers and factories.
- Suncast – Chile: Offers highly accurate solar energy prediction and soiling estimation services without the need for physical sensors or additional infrastructure.
- Grinplus – Uruguay: Helps small solar generators in developing countries earn income by selling renewable certificates.
- HD Photovoltaics – Argentina: Produces lightweight, modular, and multifunctional BIPV panels that simultaneously act as building materials and renewable energy generators.
- SUNNA – Ecuador: Develops easy-to-install solar heaters, lamps, and photovoltaic systems designed for diverse geographic and socioeconomic contexts with minimal technical intervention.
- Green Energy – Nicaragua: Provides the Shagara WaterHub, which integrates an award-winning water purification tank with an autonomous vending machine powered by an off-grid solar system.
- Quantum Motors – Bolivia: First company in Latin America to integrate solar panels directly into urban electric vehicles; its Quantum E4 Solar model includes a flexible 100 W panel on the roof for auxiliary charging.
- Suno – Colombia: Digital finance platform that enables transparent, cross-border financing for real clean energy projects, starting with community solar parks.
With this step, Latin America and the Caribbean are not only aligning themselves with the Paris Agreement, but also becoming protagonists in the global energy transition.
Find out more about the SolarX Startup Challenge and the selected solutions.
