Combating energy poverty via small-scale solar for initial electrification and post-disaster recovery in Guatemala and Puerto Rico communities

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Despite the ubiquity of electricity in many parts of the world, there are still over a billion people who do not have access to a reliable electric grid. Distributed solar energy has emerged as a low-cost solution for these off-grid communities to gain access to electricity. These communities tend to be in rural, remote, or agricultural regions where it can be expensive to extend existing electrical infrastructure. Such regions have also been shown to be the slowest to recover in post-disaster situations, where electrical infrastructure has been damaged. Addressing this need, our group installed small-scale solar kits (100–400 W) in different regions of non-electrified Guatemala and post-Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico. To improve the efficacy of our installations and future efforts, we surveyed households about their current circumstances, energy consumption, and energy needs. Our results show that despite different circumstances impacting energy access (non-electrified Guatemala versus for disaster recovery in Puerto Rico), there were similarities in their socio-economic statuses and their energy needs. We found that the small-scale solar kits enabled the usage of basic devices such as in-home medical equipment, lighting, phone-charging, and other small devices of interest to the families. Herein, we address the link between energy poverty, solar electrification for powering small devices, and the quality of life of households in both communities.