In this thesis I study the impact of electrification using solar photovoltaic panels
in the rural Ecuadorian community of Las Balsas. Many large-scale development
organizations like the World Bank promote small-scale renewable energy technologies
like solar photovoltaics as being crucial in helping poor rural communities generate more
income. My research however, both in the field and in the literature, shows income
generation from these projects tends to be minimal. I find that the introduction of solar
electrification is most important for social applications like music, movies, cell phones,
and lighting.
FEDETA, the NGO that installed the solar photovoltaics, promotes the
development project not as a neoliberal market-based income-generation project, but
rather as a humanistic improvement in the “quality of life” of local residents. I analyze
this goal of the project in light of the development theories developed over the past few
decades. I question how well solar photovoltaics fits into the “small is beautiful”
appropriate technology sector.
While solar photovoltaic systems have the potential to build small-scale islands of
autonomous electricity production in a more environmentally sustainable manner than
grid electricity based on fossil fuels, I caution that this is not necessarily the most
equitable way to provide electricity to the rural poor in developing countries. While solar
home systems have much potential to provide (often minimal amounts of) electricity to
extremely rural areas, the service provided is in many cases inferior to grid electricity.
While solar photovoltaic technology does provide many potential benefits in areas
not reached by grid electricity, NGOs and policy makers should be wary of seeing the
technology as a panacea for sustainable development. Solar photovoltaics as a technology
has a long way to go to provide energy services comparable to that offered by most grid
systems. As with any technology its actual use is not predetermined, but rather is
influenced by the local social and cultural contexts. / text
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UTEXAS/oai:repositories.lib.utexas.edu:2152/26125 |
| Date | 23 September 2014 |
| Creators | Leid, Leon Hoover |
| Source Sets | University of Texas |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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