RAPS system up and running in Padre Cocha - January 2004

The RAPS pilot hybrid system set up in Padre Cocha is operating successfully providing 24-hour electricity since October 20, 2003. Three-hundred families living in this village by the Nanay River in Loreto, Perú are benefiting from this new energy system.

The operator running this RAPS system is ERPACO – Electro RAPS of Padre Cocha – an association fully owned by its own community members. Formed in August 2000, ERPACO runs, maintains, and administers the supply of power generated by the RAPS system. ERPACO receives technical support from ILZRO RAPS PERU (IRP), the executing agency of the RAPS project.

IRP, Electro Oriente S.A.—the electricity supplier for the Loreto Region—and Orion Energy Corp. (lead technical organization of the RAPS project) have trained ERPACO members and managers to perform their tasks successfully.

With the continuous direct technical support of IRP, ERPACO runs RAPS systems as a small rural electrification entity, in charge of the operation and maintenance of the hybrid RAPS system as well as tariffs, payment collection, logistics, personnel, and general management.

Padre Cocha was chosen for the pilot project due to its community members, their solidarity, and their conditions to work as a team. From the project onset, IRP has maintained a close dialogue with community members, and local authorities, who have always participated in key decisions of the project. This dialogue and team effort continues as the project is implemented. This task was not easy, as community members are living under poverty or extreme poverty, with minimal educational level.

The RAPS system has changed the life of community members in Padre Cocha. Today, they watch television, which not only provides entertainment, but also keeps them informed of other communities living under poverty and willing to improve and develop.

In addition, the community is using refrigerators to preserve their foods and to have water or cold refreshments which are badly needed given the high temperatures in the Amazon region. They also use ventilation equipments and fans.

There have also been a good number of small businesses created. A few years ago, there was only one small business; today, with 24-hour electricity from the RAPS system there are approximately 52 new small-business managers, generating income, and improving income in Padre Cocha.

Energy Savings
The Energy Savings Program (PAE) of the Ministry of Energy and Mines has trained community members in energy savings and the efficient use of it. This has been a successful program as more than 80% of the community members use efficient light bulbs as opposed to regular ones which require more energy. In addition, all households are equipped with power boxes, fuses, switches, and adequate outlets.

Tariffs
A temporary fixed tariff was approved through a Community Assembly. There have been a few problems with the collection of the tariffs which ERPACO is addressing with special attention. In the near future electricity readers will be installed in all households and businesses located in Padre Cocha. Electro Oriente S.A. will oversee the quality of such readers before they are installed.

Ecotourism
Given the potential of tourism in and around Padre Cocha, IRP and community members have defined ecotourism as the economic activity for generating jobs and income for the community. A program called “CLUSTER Ecotourism” has been established to bring together in one single program a set of small-business managers of different businesses related to tourism: hotels, restaurants, trips by canoe, trails in the jungle, production and selling of ceramics, etc. To this end, on May 28, 2003 the Community Assembly created an association called ECOTURPACO – ecotourism in Padre Cocha. This association is composed entirely by community members of Padre Cocha, with the role to operate the CLUSTER Ecotourism program, interacting with visitors, businesses and local authorities.