Uruguay | Good News For Humankind

Uruguay achieves near 100% renewable energy grid

By Peter Schulte / November 28, 2025 / Good News For Humankind

Uruguay has achieved a major energy milestone, generating over 97% of its electricity from renewable sources. This success is built on a strategic mix of wind, solar, hydropower, and biomass, ensuring a reliable and clean grid without reliance on fossil fuel imports. This pragmatic economic policy has stabilized energy costs and created thousands of jobs. Uruguay’s rapid transition provides a powerful, scalable blueprint for other nations seeking energy independence and environmental sustainability.

Uruguay now generates more than 90% of its electricity from renewables

By Peter Schulte / December 27, 2023 / Good news links

Since the 2000s, Uruguay has installed about 50 windfarms across the country, decarbonized the grid, and bolstered its hydropower. Now, depending on the weather, anything between 90% and 95% of its power comes from renewables. In some years, that number has crept as high as 98%.

12 nations sign the UNASUR Constitutive Treaty

By Peter Schulte / May 23, 2008 / Archive of Human Genius

The UNASUR Constitutive Treaty officially established the Union of South American Nations, an intergovernmental continental union of twelve South American nations.

Eduardo Galeano completes Memoria Del Fuego trilogy

By Peter Schulte / September 4, 1986 / Archive of Human Genius

The Uruguayan author’s famous work has been described as “the most powerful literary indictment of colonialism in the Americas.”

José Batlle y Ordóñez brings a wide array of modern reforms to Uruguay

By Peter Schulte / September 3, 1905 / Archive of Human Genius

He was elected to the presidency for two terms, from 1903 until 1907 and from 1911 to 1915. He remains one of the most popular Uruguayan presidents. He is known for introducing unemployment compensation, eight-hour workdays, and universal suffrage, as well as free High School education.

17th century map of the Río de la Plata basin

Bruno Mauricio de Zabala founds the modern-day city of Montevideo

By Peter Schulte / September 1, 1724 / Archive of Human Genius

The city was established in 1724 by a Spanish soldier, Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst the Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region. Montevideo is now the capital and largest city of Uruguay.

The Charrúa peoples emerge in modern-day Uruguay

By Peter Schulte / February 28, 1002 / Archive of Human Genius

About 4,000 years ago Charrúa and Guarani people arrived here. During pre-colonial times Uruguayan territory was inhabited by small tribes of nomadic Charrúa, Chaná, Arachán and Guarani peoples who survived by hunting and fishing and probably never reached more than 10,000 to 20,000 people.