Bolivia is facing an energy crisis marked by shortages of diesel and petrol, and by high energy costs. For small and medium-sized rural family-based enterprises (SMEs), which play a central role in food production and in sustaining rural livelihoods, this situation increases operating costs, affects productive continuity and limits competitiveness, especially in territories with limited energy access.
In this context, Decentralised Renewable Energy Systems (DRES) represent an alternative for improving energy security and strengthening productive processes in rural areas. However, their inclusive potential depends on how the benefits associated with their installation and use are distributed, particularly from a gender perspective.
This report analyses five pilot intervention and research cases addressed by the GENERIS project in fish farming and the processing of Amazonian and tropical fruits in Pando, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. The results show significant energy savings, productive improvements and new opportunities for women’s participation in the everyday use of the systems. At the same time, barriers are identified relating to the organisation of work, access to technical knowledge, decision-making and trust in projects, which shape the extent of these benefits and present challenges for future scaling.
The experience observed in the cases analysed shows clear impacts. In fish farming enterprises, solar energy made it possible to guarantee continuous oxygenation of the ponds, reducing losses and improving growth times. In the processing of Amazonian fruits, the availability of more stable energy made it possible to keep refrigerators running continuously, avoid losses and reduce electricity bills by approximately 30%. The reduced dependence on fossil fuels not only lowered costs, but also brought greater predictability to income.
From the perspective of the women interviewed, these changes reduced the uncertainty associated with potential productive losses and generated greater economic stability. In some cases, the savings were used to cover basic expenses; in others, they were reinvested in productive improvements or in early-stage initiatives to diversify production.
One of the most valued changes was the reduction in the time and effort spent buying petrol. This “freed-up time” eased the daily workload, especially for women, who often took on much of this work. However, the study shows that the time saved did not translate into a redistribution of domestic and care work. In many cases, it was simply absorbed into other domestic or productive tasks.
Improved energy availability also affected household wellbeing: greater access to night-time lighting, constant refrigeration, use of fans and, in some cases, internet connectivity. These changes expanded educational opportunities and helped reduce digital gaps in rural contexts.
The installation of DRES opened up opportunities for women and young people to participate more actively in everyday tasks such as switching on, monitoring or cleaning the systems. However, gaps remain in access to specialised knowledge.
Training tends to be concentrated among men and is mostly delivered in Spanish, even though some territories have populations who speak Indigenous languages. As observed in some cases, this may have contributed to more limited participation by women in training processes and in their access to technical knowledge.
Therefore, while women’s operational participation increased, strategic decisions about technical adjustments, expansions or contact with installers continued to remain mostly in the hands of men. The gap between everyday use and decision-making control remains a challenge.
The study identifies two central factors for the sustainability of DRES: building trust and access to financing.
Initial acceptance of the systems was shaped by doubts and previous failed experiences with other projects. In contexts where technical knowledge is limited, trust in institutions and in those implementing projects becomes decisive.
In terms of financing, women face structural barriers. Although financial inclusion has grown in Bolivia, the country continues to have one of the highest gaps in the region: only 11% of women are adequately included in the formal financial system. This limits their ability to access productive credit and invest in energy equipment.
The testimonies collected show concrete differences in credit approval between men and women, even when both carry out similar productive activities. These barriers shape the extent of the benefits of the energy transition.
Decentralised Renewable Energy Systems have proven to be an effective tool for reducing energy vulnerabilities, improving productive continuity and raising quality of life in Bolivian rural SMEs and households.
However, their transformative potential does not depend solely on their technical performance. To maximise their inclusive impact, it is necessary to explicitly integrate a gender perspective into training, financing mechanisms and technical support strategies.
The rural energy transition is not only a technological process. It is also a social process. And its success will depend on energy solutions advancing hand in hand with transformations in the gender dynamics that structure production and everyday life in the territories.
Learn more about the benefits, opportunities and challenges for women in the case studies in Bolivia by downloading the report.
Women Deliver is one of the most important global conferences on gender equality, justice and collective action. It brings together activists, researchers, policymakers, funders and organisations from around the world to discuss and build collective responses to the challenges affecting the lives of women and girls.
In this context, the panel “Reimagining Diverse Care Infrastructures for Just and Feminist Futures” created space for important conversations about what is being done today to support care through both social and physical infrastructure. The session started from a central idea: care can no longer be seen as a private, invisible or naturalised issue. Care sustains everyday life, families, communities and the economy, yet it continues to fall disproportionately on women. From this perspective, the panel brought together different experiences to reflect on what is already being done and what is still needed to build care support systems that are more just, inclusive and sustainable.
One of the most valuable contributions of this space was that it brought together projects from Africa Cares Together (ACT CoP) and Clean Energy for Development initiative (CEDCA), connecting two agendas that often move forward separately: on the one hand, conversations on the care economy, unpaid work and community networks; and on the other, conversations on clean energy transitions, financing, innovation and physical infrastructure.
Too often, clean energy transitions are presented mainly as technological or climate solutions: a question of access, coverage, efficiency or emissions reduction. However, the panel made visible that energy also shapes everyday life. It can reduce drudgery, save time, lower risks and make certain tasks linked to care and sustaining life less burdensome. When this happens, energy stops being only a technical issue and begins to function as a tool that supports care and improves quality of life.
The experience of the Renouveau FJ project in Senegal showed in a very concrete way how an energy transition can also be understood through the lens of care. If we want to build truly just transitions, it is not enough to talk about new technologies, access to finance or services. It is also necessary to ask how life is sustained every day, under what conditions, with what forms of support and at what cost. This is an especially important question when we speak about women who not only face barriers to accessing information about clean energy and financing tailored to their needs, but also face an overload of unpaid care work, lack of time and household power dynamics that limit their ability to decide, invest and adapt.
At present, the project is generating evidence on the conditions needed for energy transitions to become more inclusive and more sensitive to care in women’s everyday lives. Its initial findings show that the barriers are not only economic or technical. They also include time poverty, unpaid care work, limited access to finance, low awareness of renewable technologies and household power dynamics that restrict women’s ability to decide, invest and benefit from these solutions.
What makes this experience especially valuable is that it does not stop at identifying barriers. It is also testing concrete responses, such as training in business management, financial education, climate resilience and women’s leadership, together with work on shared responsibility within the household. This approach offers an important lesson: if energy transitions are to truly benefit women and youth, it is not enough to make technologies available. It is also necessary to strengthen capacities, expand access to useful information, create conditions for informed decision-making and challenge the inequalities that limit the use and benefits of these solutions.
Reimagining the energy transition through a care and gender lens is a necessary condition for building transitions that are more human, inclusive and truly just.
The GENERIS project, partners of Clean Energy for Development: A Call to Action (CEDCA), explores how decentralised renewable energy can support micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), local livelihoods and inclusive energy transitions in Bolivia.
Recent outputs from the project highlight the role of renewable energy in productive use, gender inclusion and sustainable development, drawing on research conducted across rural and peri-urban contexts.
Blog: Decentralized renewable energy for rural SMEs in Bolivia: benefits, opportunities and challenges for women
This blog explores how decentralised renewable energy systems, particularly solar, are being used by rural businesses to reduce costs, improve reliability and support income generation. It also highlights ongoing challenges, including gender gaps in access to finance, technical knowledge and decision-making.
Special Issue: Journal Boliviano de Ciencias
This peer-reviewed Special Issue brings together research developed by GENERIS partners, based on data collected throughout the project. The articles examine decentralised renewable energy, productive development, gender and environmental sustainability in Bolivia.
Featured articles include:
Together, these outputs demonstrate the importance of locally grounded research in shaping more inclusive and sustainable energy transitions.