RURAL PHOTOVOLTAIC ELECTRIFICATION PROGRAM ON THE BOLIVIAN HIGH PLATEAU

From 1988 to 1993, the Institute of Solar Energy at the Universidad Po litecnica de Madrid carried out a programme on the Bolivian high plate au that attained photovoltaic (PV) electrification of 1500 rural house holds by means of individual Solar Home Systems (SHS), This programme focused on three aspects: domestic electrification, transfer technolog y 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 ele ctrolyte density, The transfer technology process has been focused on the fabrication of lamps and charge regulators specifically designed f or this programme, At present, good-quality and competitive local prod ucts are available in Bolivia, User participation has been structured around a specific organization named ADES (Asociacion de Electrificaci on Solar), Each user has contributed an initial fee of US$ 80 plus a m onthly maintenance fee of US$ I, The results of the programme show the maturity of PV technology for rural electrification projects in devel oping countries, In our particular case it is also the cheapest way to achieve rural electrification on the Bolivian high plateau.