Sustainable Integral Evaluation Model for Photovoltaic Pumping Systems in Rural Communities: El Limón and El Lagartillo

Abstract

This article reveals the results of a research focused on the aspects related to the work of the public administration which interweaves the levels of organization, management with a participatory community approach for the conservation and sustainable management of water resources managed in rural communities by drinking water and sanitation committees (CAPS). The research objective was to develop a sustainable integral evaluation model for photovoltaic pumping systems (SBFv), installed in the rural communities of Limón in the municipality of Estelí and El Lagartillo in the municipality of Achuapa of the departament of León. In each community a time line of the organization process was built, starting from the formation of water committees until the legal constitution as a CAPS that forms a coincidence in both communities was in the year 2012. Electrical and hydraulic parameters of the SBFv of each community were carried out. The model proposes a check list matrix for the evaluation of the conditions of potable water systems, as well as an excel calculation template to evaluate or size a new pumping system for Communities of power grid connections. The research has a mixed methods approach. It is considered qualitative because it was based on the application of the data collection instrument as it is the focal group in order to identify the level of organization and management of the CAPS, and it is eminently quantitative, since instruments of data collection were used data of counting and measuring variables.