News Summary-solar panels
This program started a few months back when a few hundred systems were dropped into homes who were paying custumers of Soluz in the Puerta Plata region. Tecsol is a Spanish company not French (probably the main competitor on the wholesale market). Soluz (formerly Industria Electrica Bella Vista) has been developing their business model for close to 20 years now. Enersol does the nonprofit work and was the major focus in the beginning. After developing as much local manufacturing and assembly as makes sense, training local technicians all around the country, establishing and supporting businesses which are available to provide on-going service, seeing the failure of giveaway programs, developing and supporting microcredit programs, developing a leasing/rental option which allowed for close to 50% penetration in most campos not connected to the grid where we worked, and attracted more than US$1.5 million of foreign investment establish the 2000 number. We got close but the devaluation of the peso has really put a dent in our numbers. Than Tecsol with the Department of Industry and Commerce come into campos with paying customers and are giving them a system. Has anyone every heard of the European Community project with Prolino in the Northwest. They practically gave away 1000 systems between 98-00 (We did the first 200 with Helmut Shorgmeyer who some of you knew). We know and support Teofilo Cepeda (my friend John Steven's counterpart in the peace corps days (previous post) near El Partido. He generally installed about 100-150 systems a year since the late eighties and image what it did to his business. He tells us about all the people who ended up selling the system to someone else and they had him to some of the work. Part of the project included training local people. If anyone knows anything about this I would love to hear any follow up. Also and graduate student interesting in doing that study, it would provide some valuable information to how to really get solar panels on rural homes that function properly (the system). The campos surrounded Santiago Rodriguez both to the North and to the South.
Another interesting note is that USAID is paying NRECA US$6million for a multi-year rural developent plan. This plan was already part of a USAID $3 million dollar wind initative in 97-99. The funny thing is all their plans are secret.
Last edited by Tom F.; 01-07-2004 at 05:15 PM.
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