• • • NEWS • • •
NATURA, WEG AND ATAIC INAUGURATE SOLAR-POWERED AGRO-INDUSTRY IN THE AMAZON
N
atura, WEG and the Association of Agro-Extractive Workers of Ilha das Cinzas
(ATAIC) have inaugurated a pioneering solar- powered agro-industry in the Amazon floodplain. Located on Ilha das Cinzas in the Marajó archipelago, Pará, Brazil and accessible only by boat, the project introduces an off-grid
photovoltaic system with battery energy storage, significantly reducing dependence on diesel generators and directly benefiting 470 agro-extractive families.
The initiative marks the first time a photovoltaic system with battery energy storage has been deployed in an agro-industry operating in a
periodically flooded Amazon region. By ensuring a stable and renewable energy supply, the project strengthens energy autonomy and enables continuous production, even at night or during periods of low sunlight.
The installed technology consists of an off-grid photovoltaic system, with solar panels mounted on the production unit, generating electricity that is stored in a battery energy storage system (BESS). This ensures reliable power during cloudy periods and at night, with diesel generators now used only as an emergency backup, drastically reducing fossil fuel consumption and emissions. To ensure long-term autonomy, Natura and WEG delivered technical training to local residents, enabling them to operate and maintain the system. This knowledge transfer encourages youth engagement and supports generational succession in agro-extractive activities. With its new renewable energy structure, ATAIC is expected to further boost productivity in a sustainable way, improving social and economic conditions for local families while serving as a model for similar initiatives across the Amazon and beyond.
https://www.weg.net
AUTOMOTIVE LEADERS URGED TO BREAK RARE-EARTH DEPENDENCY BEFORE EV TRANSITION STALLS T
he UK automotive industry is sleepwalking into its next major supply chain crisis, according to Advanced Electric Machines (AEM), which is urging manufacturers and policymakers to act now to eliminate the sector’s reliance on rare earth materials before it compromises the electric vehicle transition.
In a new white paper released this month, AEM warns that the widespread use of rare-earth permanent magnet motors in electric vehicles has created a single point of failure comparable to the semiconductor shortage that crippled global car production during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike semiconductors, however, this vulnerability is structural, worsening and already being exploited. Recent export licensing restrictions on rare earth elements have forced production shutdowns across Europe and beyond, with manufacturers warning that further disruption is imminent. With one country controlling the vast majority of rare earth processing capacity, the report argues that the UK’s decarbonisation targets, automotive competitiveness and economic security are all now exposed to geopolitical, environmental and cyber risks beyond domestic control. “We’ve been here before,” said Dr James
Widmer, CEO and co-founder of Advanced Electric Machines. “The semiconductor crisis showed how quickly a hidden dependency can shut down
production, damage confidence, and cost the industry billions. Rare earths represent an even greater risk because the dependency is deeper, the supply chains are more concentrated, and the disruption is no longer hypothetical. The technology to remove this vulnerability already exists. What’s missing is the urgency to adopt it.” The white paper calls for immediate pilot programmes by UK manufacturers, coordinated
6 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • FEBRUARY 2026
supply chain risk assessments, and targeted government support to accelerate domestic production of rare-earth-free motors. It argues that establishing even partial independence within the next five years would materially reduce the risk of production shutdowns, missed climate targets and loss of consumer confidence in the EV transition.
https://advancedelectricmachines.com
electricalengieneeringmagazine.co.uk
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