NPR Day to Day: Guatemala Project Builds Tech from the Ground Up
February 1, 2007

XelaTeco opened its doors in Quetzaltenango (Xela), Guatemala in the summer of 2005 after an intensive search for engineering talent at local universities and engineering schools.  The highly skilled team that came together is  committed to providing affordable energy solutions for the rural poor. Their product and service line includes micro-hydroelectric system installation and repair, high efficiency stoves, as well as solar hot water heater and solar panel installations. Their client base ranges from agricultural cooperatives to community institutions to non-profit agencies. 

Major Contracts (2005 - Present)

• 2005: XelaTeco won a $44,000 contract partially funded by the UNDP to produce and install a 16KW micro-hydroelectric system for Comunidad Nueva Alianza. The  finished system provides 40 families (approx. 200 people) with clean and renewable electricity in their homes for the first time.
• 2007: XelaTeco won a $12,000 contract to recondition a 75 KW hydroelectric system at La Fe y Chantel that powered their agricultural machinery. The repair allowed the community to save $2,000 a month in energy costs during their 6-month coffee harvest.
• 2008: Humdinger Wind Energy contracted XelaTeco to do R&D and scaling on their breakthrough wind technology for $65,000.
• 2008: La Fe and Chantel hired XelaTeco again to install transmission lines and extend their minigrid to the homes of the community's 100 families.
• 2009: XelaTeco started a $19,000 micro-hydroelectric project funded by the UNDP for the Associación para el Desarrollo "La Guadalupana". The electricity generated by the 2.5 KW system will be used at the 74-member organization's eco-park, Corazon del Bosque.

Examples of XelaTeco's Product Line

Mitchell Banki Turbine. Part of Corazon Del Bosque Ecopark Micro-hydro Installation


Micro-hydro Installation at Corazon Del Bosque Ecopark, Guatemala


Pelton turbine used in Comunidad Nueva Alianza micro-hydroelectric system. Photo by Xeni Jardin


Rocket Box Stove

AIDG Loan to XelaTeco

Incubation Loan Repayment: After their 3 year incubation period, Xelateco began repaying its $55,000 incubation loan from AIDG in Fall 2008.