Solar lamps for Amazon communities without electricity: Audi and Litro de Luz continue partnership

“Working as a volunteer on this project with the riverside communities of the Amazon, alongside employees and partners who have committed to this mission, was a transformative experience. I’m even more connected to the purpose of working for a more sustainable, innovative and, above all, humane future,” says Paula Barreiros, Head of Compliance, Quality & ESG at Audi do Brazil.“We are so used to enjoying basic resources such as electricity that it is difficult to imagine our routine without them. During the expedition to the Amazon, we were able to see in the community the hope for a better future, and light will be an important ally on this journey. I am proud to be part of an organization that supports socio-environmental actions that have a real impact on the lives of these people,” says Gerold Pillekamp, Head of Marketing and Communication at Audi do Brazil.“Returning to the Amazon region, where our partnership with Audi began, was deeply special. Once again, we were able to experience not only the region’s vastness and natural beauty, but also the transformative power of local communities—true protagonists of a sustainable future.” says Rodrigo Eidy, President of Litro de Luz Brasil.“We are very pleased with the results of our partnership with Litro de Luz, which in recent years has already benefited thousands of people with limited access to basic resources. In addition, the project connects to our pillars of environmental responsibility, social engagement and development through clean technologies,” highlights Rüdiger Recknagel, General Director of the Audi Environmental Foundation.The 177 families benefited in this year’s edition were distributed among the communities of Santa Izabel (61 families), São Francisco de Aruaú (82 families) and Nova Esperança do Apuaú (34 families). In total, 199 compact energy solutions were distributed, including street lamps (177, one per family) and solar street lamps (22). In total, 575 people were impacted.In Nova Esperança de Apuaú, 34 street lamps and eight posts were provided. In Santa Izabel, 61 street lamps and eight posts were provided. Finally, in São Francisco de Aruaú, 82 street lamps and six posts were provided.The areas were selected based on the Litro de Luz database, which mapped the communities in the region with no or limited access to the regular electricity grid. Before the event in the Amazon region, workshops were held to train ambassadors responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the installed posts and lamp. In addition, an assembly workshop for compact energy solutions was held at the beginning of June at the Audi Alphaville dealership, located in the metropolitan region of São Paulo. Surfer Pedro Scooby, ambassador for the four-ring brand in Brazil, was present at the event. He participated in the assembly training and is supporting this social action that is part of Audi do Brasil’s ESG pillar. The objective of the workshop was to prepare the volunteers and the Audi do Brasil team who worked in the region and transfer knowledge about the solutions to the local community.This year’s initiative seeks to reinforce the visibility given to the Amazon region atan important time for the ESG agenda in Brazil – the event is taking place in Belém do Pará, a region located within the Amazon and hosting the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 30).According to a 2018 World Bank report, around 1 billion people worldwide do not have access to electricity. In Brazil, around 2 million Brazilians do not have access to electricity, according to data from the Ministry of Mines and Energy from 2019.Audi and Litro de Luz: a successful partnershipIn recent years, the partnership between Audi do Brasil, Audi Environmental Foundation and Litro de Luz has brought significant impacts to the communities visited. The project has already operated in the regions of Amazonia (2022 and 2025), Cananéia and Ilha do Cardoso (2023) and Baixo Xingu (2024).In 2022, around 200 riverside communities in the Amazon received 30 solar posts and more than 150 lanterns, benefiting the residents of Nova Canaã, Nova Jerusalém and Lindo Amanhecer. In total, the action benefited 650 local residents.In 2023, the action took place in indigenous and caiçara communities on the southern coast of São Paulo. Around 40 volunteers from Audi do Brasil and the NGO Litro de Luz provided 140 energy solutions (lamps and solar energy poles) in the cities of Cananeia and Ilha do Cardoso. It is estimated that 147 families from 12 communities and 450 people were impacted.In 2024, the Litro de Luz project was present in the Xingu region (MT) and benefited around 700 residents of local communities. On that occasion, 170 solutions were delivered during the seven days of action. In total, the project has already benefited around 2,400 people. In addition, 31 volunteers from Audi do Brasil and 75 volunteers from the NGO Litro de Luz participated in the actions during the period, who had the opportunity to experience a cultural exchange with local communities. In the four years of the project (2022 to 2025), the Audi Environmental Foundation and Audi do Brasil have already invested more than R$ 1 million in the actions, including the costs of logistics, organization, equipment and installation of compact sustainable energy solutions in the communities.Litro de Luz’s sustainable lighting technologiesLitro de Luz develops three of its own technologies for sustainable lighting solutions: solar lanterns, solar posts and indoor lighting.The solar lantern has a PVC structure, a PET bottle, a battery, LED bulbs and a suitable size that allows mobility during nighttime activities, inside and outside the community’s homes, and a solar panel for charging the battery.The solar post is assembled with a high-performance, low-maintenance lithium battery and positioned in strategic public places with a lot of foot traffic in the communities. Both use solar panels for charging and, in the case of the posts, they remain lit all night, with automatic daytime charging.The internal lighting solution consists of an LED bulb, solar panel, battery and control. The methodology used by the NGO Litro de Luz involves the assembly process being carried out through engagement with the communities, by the residents themselves, in this way, they create a bond and take care of the solutions so that they last as long as possible. Local ambassadors are trained in the communities so that contact with the NGO is permanent and the solutions receive the necessary care during use. In addition to maintenance, when the batteries lose their capacity and usability, they are returned for recycling and Litro de Luz acts to replace them immediately.Litro de LuzOperating in more than 15 countries, the international organization has around 200 volunteers distributed across the five regions of Brazil with the goal of providing lighting to people without access to electricity through sustainable solar energy solutions.Litro de Luz works with its own social development methodology that allows it to mobilize volunteers, map communities, understand needs and train residents to install, replicate and maintain its technologies. In this process, leaders are identified in their communities, trained as ambassadors and become local representatives of the NGO.This process ensures the engagement of residents so that the actions have a lasting impact on the lives of the communities. Throughout its history, the organization has directly impacted around 30 thousand people in rural, urban, indigenous, riverside and quilombola areas throughout the country.