Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In a world where 17% of all electricity is generated from wind and solar and where 93% of all new capacity added to the grid is from renewables, it can be easy to forget that countries got their first wind and solar resources within just the last few years.
And in fact, some countries are still waiting for their first.
Today on Cleaning Up, we’re joined by Daniel Calderon, Founder and Managing Partner of Alcazar Energy Partners. Daniel has made it a specialty of going into countries overlooked by others, building their first wind and solar farms, and as he explains, doing it very profitably.
Leadership Circle:
Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.
Discover more:
• Alcazar Energy Partners: alcazarenergy.com
• Episode 196 with Lucy Heintz: youtu.be/nhGDI_0QIHg
• Episode 181 with Ethan Zindler: youtube.com/watch?v=Sf5_r3V3Vs8
• Episode 204, the Sierra Leone special: youtube.com/watch?v=z-5QjSfy2SM
Chapters:
00:00 - Coming Up
00:45 - Introduction
01:50 - Alcazar Energy
04:20 - Which Markets & Why?
09:40 - A Warm Welcome
14:30 - What’s Not To Like?
16:30 - Snowball Effect
19:30 - Why Isn’t Everyone Doing This
23:20 - Currency Collapse
26:45 - Tripling Renewables
30:00 - Cheaper Electricity
32:00 - Arbitrage & Profit
36:30 - What Worries Daniel
40:00 - Building Expertise
42:00 - 10 Years Out
46:43 - Outro
In a world where 17% of all electricity is generated from wind and solar and where 93% of all new capacity added to the grid is from renewables, it can be easy to forget that countries got their first wind and solar resources within just the last few years.
And in fact, some countries are still waiting for their first.
Today on Cleaning Up, we’re joined by Daniel Calderon, Founder and Managing Partner of Alcazar Energy Partners. Daniel has made it a specialty of going into countries overlooked by others, building their first wind and solar farms, and as he explains, doing it very profitably.
Leadership Circle:
Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.
Discover more:
• Alcazar Energy Partners: alcazarenergy.com
• Episode 196 with Lucy Heintz: youtu.be/nhGDI_0QIHg
• Episode 181 with Ethan Zindler: youtube.com/watch?v=Sf5_r3V3Vs8
• Episode 204, the Sierra Leone special: youtube.com/watch?v=z-5QjSfy2SM
Chapters:
00:00 - Coming Up
00:45 - Introduction
01:50 - Alcazar Energy
04:20 - Which Markets & Why?
09:40 - A Warm Welcome
14:30 - What’s Not To Like?
16:30 - Snowball Effect
19:30 - Why Isn’t Everyone Doing This
23:20 - Currency Collapse
26:45 - Tripling Renewables
30:00 - Cheaper Electricity
32:00 - Arbitrage & Profit
36:30 - What Worries Daniel
40:00 - Building Expertise
42:00 - 10 Years Out
46:43 - Outro
