Uruguay’s former secretary of energy Ramón Méndez Galain explains how he created the system to transform Uruguay’s electric system from a traditional fossil fuel dependent one to a system that relies on renewable resources that make up 98 percent of their energy usage.

The speaker emphasizes that the way towards a renewable energy future is to start the transition period that calls on the government of whichever country to come together in search for solutions to replace current energy standards. The speaker states that finding the solution to these energy problems can be very complicated it affects many different aspects of life such as ethical, social, and geopolitical dimensions. Ramón also states that it is crucial to have the support of all parties of government in order to be able to make significant, rapid progress.

Once the system was implemented, Uruguay went from relying on 50 percent fossil fuels to five years later using 98 percent renewable resources. The change from fossil fuel to renewable resource was not easy and required change not only in government but also new technologies had to be developed in order to properly manage such a large system.

The change also brought on economic benefits. Implementing this new system brought economic benefits, for example, the cost of electricity dropped from around one billion dollars annually to around 600 million dollars. This may not seem like a lot but to a small country like Uruguay it greatly affects the economy. Furthermore, the creation of new jobs brought on by the system also boosted the economy. 50,000 new jobs were created which makes up around three percent of the total workforce. Lastly, Uruguay received 6 billion dollars in investment from outside sources. This investment of 6 billion dollars makes up 12 percent of the country’s total GDP.

An important idea that is represented in this TED talk is that change is possible. If a small country in terms of size and economy when compared to the US can successfully switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy resources then we can too. All it takes is bipartisan support in the government and for the public to see renewable resources as a long term viable solution.

The speaker has a very powerful method of presenting. He makes sure to keep the audience engaged through changing his tone of voice and by being loud. Also he provides many facts and statistics to keep the audience engaged the entire time.