Design of Solar Energy Infrastructure in Rural Argentina

Paula Pérez, Kellen Kennedy, Martin Lucero, Elias Andrada | Advised by Dr. Alan Mickelson, University of Colorado at Boulder, and Guillermo Catuogno, Universidad Nacional de San Luis

I N TRODUCTI ON M ETH ODS PROJECT STRUCTURE

Like many rural, under-served populations worldwide, To collect qu alit at ive an d qu an t it at ive dat a:

communities from El Impenetrable in the Chaco province, - Informal interviews to understand user needs.
Argentina, live in extreme poverty, facing hunger and - GIS and literature reviews to understand geographic and
disease every day. They are leaving their lands in search of geological conditions.
opportunity elsewhere, leaving the region vulnerable to For pr oject design w it h ou r par t n er s:
exploitation and deforestation. Improving household living - Sizing and design of the energy and water systems, using
conditions and expanding educational and professional Homer Pro, GIS and Excel.
opportunities can revitalize communities and lead to - Investigation of technical services and vendors available for
environmental protection. project implementation.

SYSTEM DESI GN

- The project will service 210 h ou seh olds with water, 25 of those
with electricity too, and 7 com m u n it y cen t er s with water and
electricity.
- The entire project requires 222 k Wh / day in electricity and 62,000
lpd (liters/day) of water.
Project business model for sustainable management.
- Buildings will be fitted with individual solar systems.
- Water for personal use will be provided by boreholes with solar
Traditional rural Chaco household pumps, and complemented with rainwater catchment systems for - Project management is centered around the collaboration between Monte Adentro and a local
[Source: CWSglobal.org] other uses. solar cooperative, making the project sustainable financially, technically, and socially.
- Project implementation will last 10 months from initial site - Monte Adentro is a community representative in the design phase, and will support families
assessment to the end of construction. through their entrepreneurial and educational programs.
OBJECTI VES - The solar cooperative will support the operations, maintenance and fee collection.
- There will be 5 years of Monitoring and Evaluation to measure changes in the Multidimensional
Design of small solar energy systems for basic but crucial Poverty Index , and will include metering for evaluation of the systems' performance.
services:
- Household elect r icit y for needs such as lighting,
refrigeration and ventilation, and improved w at er CON CLUSI ON
access for personal use.
- Electricity and water for com m u n it y cen t er s to This project is in the final stages of design and is expected to be implemented over the next year.
expand professional development programs and
support community development.
M ain lear n in gs:
- Electricity and water for pr odu ct ive u ses such as small
- Electricity by itself is not useful; decentralized energy projects must be used for critical needs as
animal husbandry, small agriculture and creation of
well as productive uses to ensure the project can be maintained.
salable products.
- Individual household systems, even if not as efficient as larger microgrids, can be more
convenient for operations and maintenance, a big factor for long-term project success.
This project is designed in close collaboration with the - Improved access to electricity and water can reduce food insecurity, expand
Map of the project over its 9 mile radius. Blue are households
local NGO Monte Adentro and the Laboratorio de Control micro-entrepreneurial opportunities and ultimately enable families to remain in their rural
needing water, yellow are households needing water and
Automático at the Universidad Nacional de San Luis. communities, directly and indirectly protecting the environment as well.
electricity, grey and orange are community centers.