Sustainable energy supply to isolated communities to enhance productive activities: first year advances

Abstract

Five Work Groups from Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay of renewable energy specialists and sociologists are carrying out this technology transfer project funded by OAS since 2004. Three of the groups have just finished a similar project that provided services. This project will enhance productivity in isolated rural communities using the renewable energies locally available. In each country, four different productive activities will be supported. It is expected that the results will be socially more significant and sustainable. Using the methodology developed in the first project, several meetings were held with each community leaders and a general enquiry was performed to identify the suitable renewable energy systems to be provided. In a second instance, general workshops were organized where the systems to be installed, its characteristics and the participation of the members of each community were analyzed and discussed, reaching general consensus. Keywords: technology transfer, renewable energies, social impact, sustainability, international project.