‘Light at Home’ programme has benefited 3,900 families in Cajamarca, Peru

In April 2014, just a few months after  1,700 DPS were installed under the LC1700 project, the Board of ACCIONA  Microenergía Perú approved an extension to benefit an additional 900  households.

The acquisition of additional domestic photovoltaic systems was arranged, each system consisting mainly of  an 85Wp photovoltaic panel, a 100Ah battery, a 10A regulator and three 5W LED  lamps. With this installation, users can enjoy at least 4 hours of efficient  lighting every night, plus the ability to power 12V appliances, such as a 20W  TV (for three hours) or an 8W radio (for 6.5 hours), as well as charging a  mobile phone.

Once the new users had been identified and trained,  ACCIONA Microenergía Perú arranged another training course for local freelance  technicians to install the domestic photovoltaic systems;  it was attended by 16 beneficiaries of the ‘Light at Home’ programme, including  two women—the first female technicians to participate. Subsequently, 30  technicians who had been trained by ACCIONA Microenergía Perú in a number of  workshops organised in recent years,  installed the 900 DPS under the extension of  the LC1700 Project, plus another 21 DPS, in a total of 42 villages.

In parallel with the extension of the  LC1700 Project, ACCIONA Microenergía Perú is implementing a Management  Information System to operate the scheme. Users have increased by 200% in the  last two years, making it necessary to have an integrated tool for managing the  photovoltaic-based rural electrification scheme.

Once again, ACCIONA volunteers played a prominent role  on the ground, assisting ACCIONA Microenergía Perú in successfully completing  the installations.

About ACCIONA Microenergía Perú

 ACCIONA Microenergía Perú it’s a social  micro-enterprise implemented through the ACCIONA Microenergia Foundation.  Founded in 2009, provides affordable basic electricity service to poor  households in rural communities in the Cajamarca district, where there are no  plans for conventional electrification because of the district's isolation and  scattered population.

the culmination of the LC1700 Project in  2013, which was co-financed by FOMIN-IDB, put 1,700 DPS into service, bringing  the total number of operational installations to 3,000 and providing sufficient  revenues to make the initiative economically sustainable. In this way, the ‘Light  at Home’ Programme achieved its initial objective: to demonstrate the viability  of rural electrification using affordable, sustainable renewable energy.

The decision to expand the LC1700 project required  major efforts by ACCIONA Microenergía Perú, but it was in response to the  steady flow of applications for service from villages where the project was  already in place and other villages, confirming the population's satisfaction  with the service and the institution's credibility.