Assessing the Impact of Off-grid Solar Electrification in Rural Peru

Abstract

In rural communities throughout the developing world, lack of access to electricity can have far-reaching impacts. Students are often unable to study after sunset for want of adequate lighting; access to technology is limited or nonexistent for lack of power to charge devices. For one off-grid community in rural Peru, this was not a satisfactory situation, and they approached Engineers Without Borders-USA (EWB-USA) to work on a solution. Ultimately, after careful assessment and an enlightening false start, the Walla Walla University chapter of EWB-USA (EWB-WWU), in partnership with the community of Japura, designed and implemented standalone solar photovoltaic systems to electrify the community. The outline of this process is discussed in this article. A monitoring trip over a year after implementation allowed insight into the project’s health and sustainability and also taught the team lessons about training, communication, socioeconomic impact, and community empowerment. This assessment and the resulting lessons are the focus of this article.