Rural Electrification with Aid of Decentralized Renewable Energy : An impact study on the livelihood capitals of the end users and sustainability of the solar home system component of the IDTR electrification project in Bolivia

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2008-10-01
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en
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Bolivia is one of Latin America’s poorest countries. When it comes to development and the level of electrification, this fact is reinforced as only 65 to 70% of the population has access to electricity. The following research being presented took place in four dispersed rural communities in the municipality of Villazón (department of Potosí). These communities are located in close proximity to the Argentine border and are characterized by subsistence farming and small scale handicraft works as means for making a living. The respondent group to this investigation was accessing electricity by means of a decentralized solar home system, made available by a nationwide government project called the IDTR. In previous renewable energy initiatives for rural electrification, little is known about the impact on people’s livelihoods. Previous studies often only refer to this in generalist terms of improvement. For this investigation the following central questions were posed:    (A) What is the impact of the new electric services provided by the solar home system component (SHSC) of the IDTR project on the livelihood assets of the end users?   (B) How sustainable is the IDTR SHSC project until now based on the impact assessment and the project sustainability review?
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen