Rural electrification in the Andean countries: analysis of policies that can accelerate off-grid PV adoption

Project: Dissertation project

Project participants

Description

The significant drop in prices of Photovoktaic (PV) plants has boosted rural projects in emerging countries worldwide. However, in many countries, the proportion of the rural population supplied with electricity remains low and the proportion supplied with electricity from renewable energy systems is even lower. Attending to this fact, I am particularly interested in studying how the expansion of solar systems can be further accelerated in rural areas. I will focus my research on the barriers that constrain the deployment of off-grid solar systems such as 1) flaws in the adopted regulatory frame (effective alternatives tailored for the country’s specific challenge); 2) the lack of input data for energy consumption modeling (which constrains long-term planning); 3) the unavailability of qualified and trained technicians (that affect the sustainability of already deployed systems); and 4) the scarcity of funding opportunities for PV projects (major factors that inhibit Foreign Direct Investment and possible measures that could be taken by key players).
StatusFinished
Period15.11.1321.11.17