Research Article

Community renewable energy in Panama: a sustainability assessment of the “Boca de Lura” PV-Wind-Battery hybrid power system

¹ School of Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
² Solar Energy Laboratory, Department of Physics, Universidad Nacional, Heredia 86-3000, Costa Rica
³ ITP Renewables, Turner, ACT 2601, Australia
⁴ Energy Laboratory, Electrical, Mechanical and Industrial Research and Innovation Center, Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, Panamá 0819-12425, Panama

^* e-mail: madriz_rolando@yahoo.com

Received: 13 January 2017
Received in final form: 16 July 2017
Accepted: 27 July 2017

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of a community renewable energy project implemented in the community of “Boca de Lura” located in rural Panama. This is a 2.17 kW stand-alone PV-Wind-Battery hybrid power system supplying energy to a local school also serving as a community facility. A novel sustainability assessment framework is used to examine the Boca de Lura experience and future perspectives for the power system and the project as a whole. The main challenges for Boca de Lura are discussed and recommendations to overcome some of the obstacles encountered are provided. Findings suggest that, even though the project was successfully implemented, its long-term operation is jeopardized due to non-technical aspects rather than technical ones. A potential solution is upgrading the stand-alone system into a minigrid; however, more studies and external advice are required to understand the implications for Boca de Lura, local institutions and possible national and international sponsors.