Experiences of Sustainable Energy Development Within Federal Higher Education Institutions in the Amazon: The Case of the State of Amazonas

This article presents the strategic role that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), in the northern Brazilian state of Amazonas, have been playing to promote energy sustainability, specifically, the actions that have stimulated the interaction between HEIs, industry, government and civil society. The Federal Institute of Amazonas (IFAM) is an institution that works in the training and qualification of skilled workers, facilitating the deployment of solar photovoltaic systems and aiming to implement an integrated management of energy resources. On the other hand, the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), for over twenty years, has been supporting research and development projects of renewable energy and energy efficiency in partnership with industries, government institutions and civil society. The creation of a policy to encourage the use of renewable energy generation and energy efficiency, in the state of Amazonas, is a result of this partnership. These successful experiences have prepared these institutions for challenges beyond energy issues and enabled the construction of new teaching strategies and innovative solutions for society.