We really wanted to be off grid on our property, especially given the intense sunlight and regular afternoon wind all year round. But solar energy is rarely used in Bolivia, due to the incredible cheapness of electricity, generated by hydro-electric power. We investigated buying solar panels, but they were more than 4 times the price of those in first world countries, and wind generators were not available. Ed consulted his old school friend who ran an alternative energy company in Canada, but was advised that it was not viable to ship panels from outside the country, given the cost. He recommended we start off on grid and, when time and funds permitted, make our own solar and wind generators. This particularly made sense as we were going to be running a hospitality business where we could, in the future, back up alternative energy systems with power from the grid on cloudy or windless days.
In Bolivia, the law states that, unless a property is so remote that it is impossible to connect, the local electrical company Cessa (a monopoly) is obliged to provide electricity to consumers. The Spanish for electricity in Bolivia is luz - literally meaning light. This pretty much sums up what electricity is used for - the average house has a very weak input running lights for the house, a fridge and a television. Oftentimes, one of the aforementioned items has to be switched off in order for another to function.
In order to be hooked up to the grid we had to write a letter with multiple photocopies of numerous docujments to Cessa requesting a connection. There was power as far as the last group of houses in Mosoj Llajta, the nearest village to us, but we needed to have poles and cable brought further up to our property. In true Bolivian style I was sent backwards and forwards for months between the central office in Sucre, the agency in Yotala (the nearest town to our land) and the 'plant' office in Sucre, where the engineers assessed and organised the installation. Nobody wanted to take responsibility for the installation and connection, and with every visit I was given new and contradictory information about their latest survey of our needs, what we would need to function and who would make it happen.
We had to build a pillar incorporating a metal box for the meter and tubing for the cable to link from the pole to the meter. We asked each department where it would need to be sited and, after requesting a personal visit to make sure of the location, Ed built the pillar. Then we had to have it confirmed by another surveyor, who told us it was in the wrong place and that we had to knock it down and rebuild it.
Eventually, it was decided that, given the 'huge' amount of electricity we would require to operate our business, we would need to buy a 3 phase transformer and a quote was prepared. With cable and an extra electricity pole from the road (Cessa agreed to provide poles and cable to the edge of our property) the price came in at $8,500. I was appalled, and asked if a 3 phase transformer (which had formed the bulk of the cost) was really necessary. Not really, I was told, as those kind of transformers were normally used to power large factories etc. So I found out I could buy a smaller transformer, and started the whole process afresh, having been told that a new quote and survey would have to be prepared. The price was a more reasonable $4,000 and, having agreed the quote and paid the price - a 'deposit' in Bolivia actually means the full amount - a surveyor came up to our land to mark the position of the posts.
Now the main reason for needing a transformer was to power the pump for our well which, unfortunately was on the opposite side of our 10.5 acre property to the road. Having been told the transformer could only be sited near the road, he then told us that if we bought extra poles and cable, we could move the transformer closer to the house and to the cistern into which the well water was pumped.
Having decided not to build the pillar housing the meter until we were absolutely certain of it's correct location we could, at last, proceed with confidence. We incorporated it into the boundary wall just above the house and the installation of the poles and cable were squeezed in just before Carnaval - probably due to the fact that I had insisted on a contract with a penalty clause if the work was not completed on time.Of course, the actual meter was not installed, nor the power hooked in until about two weeks after Carnaval recovery time, but we had power! The seven month wait was finally over and we could put our noisy generator away for emergency use only.
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