Abstract
United Nations SDG 7 is that, by 2030, there will be an affordable, reliable and clean universal access to energy (UAE). To reach this goal, technological and social issues should be considered jointly. In this paper, the approach used by the Non-Governmental Organization “Luces Nuevas Internacional” is presented. Luces Nuevas has successfully provided basic electricity access to sparse rural communities in rural Bolivia. This paper emphasizes the methodological aspects of the approach. The key ingredient to the success is the involvement of all the stakeholders in all steps of the solution. In this way, end users feel the solution as their solution. Therefore, they are willing to use and properly maintain the devices that they buy to obtain electricity access. The case of the Tipas community shows that this approach can provide access to energy to every family that desires it. The experience shows that reaching SDG 7 requires taking into account not only the technological and economic aspects, but also the social aspects of the problem. End users involvement, from the beginning, of an electrification project is key to its success.
Highlights
Political decision: since Universal Access to Energy (UAE) is a citizen’s right, it may be legally expressed in the Country Constitution
According to the 2012 census [22], electrical energy supply is provided to 82.89% of the Bolivian population
95.96% of the population living in urban areas have electricity access
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Access to energy is an enabler and a precondition for socio-economic progress [1]. Many people in the world lack this access. Most of them live in rural areas where the cost of grid extension is high. Recognizing this fact, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 proposes that, by 2030, there will be affordable, reliable and clean universal energy access [2]. Electrification contributes to female empowerment [3]
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