Not long ago, we wrote about blueEnergy, a non-profit organization that is building hybrid wind and solar systems to power homes, schools and rural clinics in rural Nicaragua where nearly 80 percent of the population lacks electricity.

In the last two weeks, the country announced two new renewable energy projects, which the government hopes will help the nation out of the energy crisis it has endured for the last three years. First, a group of high-powered Nicaraguan businessmen committed to invest close to $92 million to generate 40 MW of wind energy this year.

According to Prensa Latina, Nicaragua has the most geothermal energy potential of any country in Central America thanks to its string of volcanoes along the Pacific Coast. According to one study, Nicaragua's untapped geothermal reservoirs could produce up to 1,100 MW of energy. That has inspired Iceland, home of the world's geothermal gurus, to invest some $5 million in developing those resources. Nicaragua's Minister of Energy will be traveling to the Nordic nation this year to learn how it has harnessed the thermal vapors of its volcanoes and apply that knowledge to Nicaragua's fledgling sector.:: Via SciDev.Net