Rural photovoltaic electrification programme on the Bolivian high plateau

From 1988 to 1993, the Institute of Solar Energy at the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid carried out a programme on the Bolivian high plateau that attained photovoltaic (PV) electrification of 1500 rural households by means of individual Solar Home Systems (SHS). This programme focused on three aspects: domestic electrification, transfer technology and user participation. In the case of domestic electrification, the SHS design presents some special features related to reliability and security, including the use of car batteries with lower than usual electrolyte density. The transfer technology process has been focused o n the fabrication of lamps and charge regulators specifically designed for this programme. At present, good-quality and competitive local products are available in Bolivia. User participation has been structured around a specific organization named ADES ( Asociacion de Electrificacion Solar). Each user has contributed an initial fee of US$ 80 plus a monthly maintenance fee of US$ 1. The results of the programme show the maturity of PV technology for rural electrification projects in developing countries. In our particular case it is also the cheapest way to achieve rural electrification on the Bolivian high plateau.