Belo Horizonte image by Vera Barbosa.
The Tool for Rapid Assessment of City Energy (TRACE),
developed by the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program
(ESMAP), has already been implemented in various cities around the world, but
Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, was the first city in Latin
America to implement the World Bank energy tool. Minas Gerais is the second
most populous state in Brazil and has emerged as one of the largest economic
forces in the country in recent years; therefore it is not surprising that the state’s
capital is determined to be known
for its commitment to sustainability, especially when considering a big plus side of adopting energy
saving measures, i.e. the resulting saving on costs in the long run, which many governments don’t
seem to realise.