TY - JOUR

T1 - Rural electrification efforts based on off-grid photovoltaic systems in the Andean Region

T2 - Comparative assessment of their sustainability

AU - Feron, Sarah

AU - Cordero, Raúl R.

AU - Labbe, Fernando

PY - 2017/10/11

Y1 - 2017/10/11

N2 - In this paper, we comparatively assess the sustainability of rural electrification efforts based on off-grid solutions in Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. Our assessment considers four dimensions of sustainability (institutional, economic, environmental, and socio-cultural). We found that Ecuador and Chile have consistently failed to ensure mechanisms for the operation and maintenance of the deployed off-grid systems, which has made these solutions in poor Chilean and Ecuadorian communities inevitably unsustainable. Although Peru has adopted a cross-tariffscheme, the Peruvian case shows that ensuring the funding of off-grid PV solutions is not enough. Peruvian officials appear to be unaware of the importance of local participation (local values and lifestyles are constantly disregarded) and most of the projects have been designed without the participation and engagement of the communities, which has often led to project failures and payment defaults. However, although each country has its particular challenges, we found that the three Andean countries have consistently neglected the importance of strong formal institutions with a flexible and decentralized structure, which in turn significantly compromised the rural electrification effort in these countries.

AB - In this paper, we comparatively assess the sustainability of rural electrification efforts based on off-grid solutions in Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. Our assessment considers four dimensions of sustainability (institutional, economic, environmental, and socio-cultural). We found that Ecuador and Chile have consistently failed to ensure mechanisms for the operation and maintenance of the deployed off-grid systems, which has made these solutions in poor Chilean and Ecuadorian communities inevitably unsustainable. Although Peru has adopted a cross-tariffscheme, the Peruvian case shows that ensuring the funding of off-grid PV solutions is not enough. Peruvian officials appear to be unaware of the importance of local participation (local values and lifestyles are constantly disregarded) and most of the projects have been designed without the participation and engagement of the communities, which has often led to project failures and payment defaults. However, although each country has its particular challenges, we found that the three Andean countries have consistently neglected the importance of strong formal institutions with a flexible and decentralized structure, which in turn significantly compromised the rural electrification effort in these countries.

KW - Andean countries

KW - Developing countries

KW - Off-grid PV systems

KW - Rural electrification

KW - Sustainable energy

KW - Sustainability Science

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85031411784&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/su9101825

DO - 10.3390/su9101825

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85031411784

VL - 9

JO - Sustainability

JF - Sustainability

SN - 2071-1050

IS - 10

M1 - 1825

ER -